KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the concerned authorities to start work on 65 MGD additional water supply scheme by reviving lower K.B feeder channel through Haleji Lake at a cost of Rs6 billion. The rehabilitation of Haleji Lake and construction of RCC Lined Canal and conduit from Haleji Lake to Gharo pumping station would be undertaken.
He was presiding over a meeting held here at the CM House on Saturday to review the progress on schemes launched to provide additional water to the residents of the port city.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Shah, Chairman P&D M. Waseem, Advisor to CM Murtaza Wahab, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh, MD Water Board Asadullah Khan, PD K-IV Asad Zamin and others. Minister for Local Government Nasir Shah told the chief minister that the rehabilitation of Haleji Lake project was closed since 2000. He added that the scope of the project included construction of RCC lined canal and RCC conduit from Haliji Lake to Gharo Pumping Station, Haliji Lake and remodeling of Reservoir branch.
A new 65 MGD pumping house at Gharo would be equipped with mechanical and electrical pumping machineries. Steel pipes of 72-inch diameter would be laid from Gharo to high point. The minister said that the provision of 65 MGD of water would benefit the population of about 1.2 million. The chief minister also reviewed progress on the upgradation of Dhabeji Pumping Station, which is to cost Rs1233.72 million.
Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Shah, while briefing the chair, said that for the repair of the existing electrical and mechanical machineries of phase- II, Phase-III and Phase-IV, the rehabilitation of K-II and K-III pumping house was necessary, because these had completed their lives.
When the chief minister was told that 65 percent work had been completed, he directed the minister to expedite work on the project in order to ensure its early completion so that its benefits could be passed on to people of the city. The chief minister also directed the water board to submit to him blueprint of a scheme for the rehabilitation of canal, flowing from Hub to provide 100 MGD of water to the District West. He said the canal was totally defective; therefore half of the total water went waste. He added that with its rehabilitation 50 MGD of water which goes waste would be made available for the people of District West.
K-IV STATUS:
The chief minister was told that NESPAK has finalized its report and the design consultant of the project. Most of the points of disagreement have been settled and now a Chinse firms has come up with a new proposal. Murad directed the Minister Local Government to submit the NESPAK final report in the board of the KWSB to discuss it in detail. The chief minister said that the K-IV project would be started very soon but he directed P&D Chairman top keep all the Stakeholders, including FWO, federal government on board in decision making.
NEXT CABINET TO DISCUSS RENEWAL OF EXPIRED LEASE IN CITY, DECIDE NEW LEASE RATES
Separately, Murad also directed Board of Revenue (BoR) to submit a detailed report of the expired leases granted in old city in the cabinet so that they could be decided there.
