Hyderabad:
The Hyderabad business world has urged the Sindh government to stop allowing the construction of housing projects or industrial areas along the officially declared waterways, canals and storm drains. In a letter addressed to the chief minister of the Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, the Hyderabad Chamber of small trade and small industry (Hcstsi) also called to initiate a topographic survey on the Industry River and all its channels.
“This problem has a direct impact on town planning, disaster management, flood prevention, environmental sustainability and public security,” said Chamber Muhammad Saleem Memon. He said that over the years, the construction activity on the navigable chains and the encroachments had made destructive consequences for the people.
He added that the monsoon 2022 rains caused losses of hundreds of billions of rupees in Karachi, Hyderabad and the rest of the Sindh. The Chamber suggested that the provincial government is launching GPS, GIS and topographic surveys from the point where the Indus river begins in the Sindh to the zero point of the Oman Sea.
Surveys should also include natural and artificial canals, distributors and storm drains. Memon proposed that after having finished the survey, the report should be informed in the Gazette, in addition to being made available to the public online. He referred to a study and declared that 20% to 30% of rain or flood loss in the Sindh are attributed to encroachments.
He stressed that the regulatory weapons of the Sindh government such as the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), the development authorities, local organizations and the irrigation service should be rigorously responsible for enforcing the investigation. The president of the Chamber stressed that the embezzlement of natural drains in the area of the Hyderabad site have also led to massive financial losses for industry.
“The old storm sewers have been stacked or blocked, causing serious damage.” He stressed that the erratic weather conditions involving precipitation and floods greater than normal, thanks to climate change, required dedicated planning and action to prevent people from undergoing losses in the future.
The room also required an immediate stop of mining activity in the mountains, in particular the Kirthar chain, which, according to him, contributed to the recent urban floods in Karachi. The business world has also underlined the need to develop policies in the field of climate resilience.
