Islamabad - Department of Auditor General of Pakistan has decided to conduct a special audit of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Cantonment Boards, Municipal Corporations and Water & Sewerage Board, on preparedness of Government agencies to meet rain emergency in Karachi. 

The special audit will also check encroachment and their removal from Nallahs, said TORs of the audit issued by the Department of the Auditor General of Pakistan.

The main purpose of audit is to look in to preparedness of the government to deal with rain emergency. The objective of audit assignment is to examine the funds earmarked and its utilization towards the existing drainage system in Karachi and to check whether adequate financial and human resources were available and properly utilized for drainage and sewerage system.

The Audit will look into the matter of desilting/cleaning of Nallahs and judicious expenditure by government agencies during the process. The Special Audit will be conducted in the area of functioning and expenditure during the last three years FY 2017-18 to 2019-20 by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, six districts Municipal Corporations of Karachi, Karachi water and Sewerage Board and five Cantonment Boards of Karachi. Special audit of Solid Waste Management in Karachi will be conducted separately.

The TORs of the Special audit states that the Auditor General of Pakistan derives its audit mandate from the Article 170(2) of the Constitution.The Article l70(2) states that the audit of the accounts of the Federal and of the provincial Government and the accounts of any authority or body established by or under the control of, the Federal or a Provincial Government shall he conducted by the Auditor General, who shall determine the extent and nature of such audit.

Giving the background the TORs further states that heavy spells of rain have caused complete breakdown of urban life in Karachi for years. Poor design and management of roads, drainage, intersections and underground sewers caused irreparable damage. Many factors have contributed to this damage particularly non-cleaning of Nallahs (Storm water Drains) and constant pouring of solid waste into them. This resulted in obstruction of flow of rain water into sea and prime corridors and many choked arteries presented the view of pools. This also resulted into loss of human lives due to electrocution in stagnant water on roads. Therefore Special Audit of the Local government Department with reference to KMC, all DMCs, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, KW&SB as well as Cantonment Board is necessary to determine efficiency of the concerned authorities working to meet the rain emergency in the metropolis.

The main purpose of Audit is to ascertain the sufficiency and basis of the fund, budget demand for meeting the Rain Emergency in Karachi by the agencies concerned, function planning and coordination of efforts between different agencies for the given purpose, final budget allocation to the said agencies for the year, final budget releases to the said agencies against the approved budget Final and quarterly budget utilization. Further audit objectives are to study capacity of existing drainage system to discharge and dispose of rain water, to check whether adequate financial/human resources available for garbage removal and sewerage system, to check whether sufficient storm water drains and landfill sites are available in the city.