articles > interview
September 2006
![Q: After the first deluge that caused havoc in the city, Karachi braced for a second storm. Despite the forecast, warning of this, however, there seemed to be virtually no preparedness on the part of the DHA and other authorities. Why?
A: We had done our homework before the onset of the monsoon. We had deployed equipment available to the Clifton Cantt Board and DHA in various areas and desilted and cleaned drains and sewer drains, through which the water normally flows. So there were preparations.
We were expecting three areas to be affected. The first was Phase One because it is dug up and refurbishment is in progress. So we deployed maximum equipment in Phase One to deal with the situation. The Cantonment Board was given responsibility for other areas, but with assistance from the DHA. I head both organisations and whatever has happened, happened under my command. So I can’t say Clifton Cantt Board and the DHA were separate [entities]. However, everyone was given certain defined responsibilities.
We actually faced a problem because some of the sewer lines collapsed after the first rain. That’s why with the second spell that came, water accumulated for a longer duration, because all the rain water – there are no existing storm water drains – was draining normally through the sewer drains. But the sewer drains had taken the load of the first rains, and the main lines, two or three in DHA, actually gave in, and because of that we could not drain out the water speedily.
The area affected after the second spell was mostly Khayaban-e-Hilal. The water from Khayaban-e-Hilal was to be drained out through the sewer drain on Saba Avenue, but a portion of that gave in, it was not functional. So we had to adopt a method of shifting water from one plot to another plot to drain the water.
Q: You said the sewer drains were cleaned, but there were many media reports of clogged sewers and the water accumulation lent credence to these.
A: The sewers were cleaned. It was programmed cleaning. I personally did spot checks.
Q: When was the cleaning completed?
A: I think, in May. The issue is that in spite of our best efforts, we have failed to keep the manholes covered. You can place them, but after a few days, you will find some covers missing. In spite of our best efforts, we haven’t been able to catch anyone stealing them, because certain areas are not very heavily trafficked, and they are taken from these areas.
During the rains light plastic bags, which are much lighter in weight than decreed by environmental standards, kept flying about and eventually flowed with the rain water into the sewers. That is why the sewers were choked again, not because the drains had not been cleaned.
I wish the Governor had banned plastic bags long ago. He did so three months ago but I really do not know why those instructions could not be implemented.
Factories that are making plastic bags of lighter material than approved by environmental standards, should be sealed. This is the main problem where sewerage is concerned. When one polythene bag goes into the drain and gets filled with water, it works like a cement block.
Q: There are a lot of open dumps where people empty garbage. When it rains, a lot of this garbage flows into the streets and down into the sewer drains. Does the DHA have any solid waste management plan that addresses this problem?
A: We do have a solid waste management plan. Actually, as far as the current system is concerned, we have three contractors who are working to collect the garbage from their respective areas of responsibility. About two months back, we awarded contracts. Some of them are not working to our satisfaction. Garbage is still standing in certain areas. It is not being cleaned the way we want it to be cleaned. These collectors have been given warnings.
We are also looking to improve our own capacity in the Clifton Cantt Board so that we can handle this volume of garbage. A lot of equipment has been purchased, and a lot is in the pipeline.
Q: Can residents expect to see any improvement by next year?
A: Definitely a big improvement. We are also looking to adopt a system that is already in use in other countries: creating a transfer station in between the landfill site and the locality from which the garbage is to be collected. That will reduce the distance and travelling time for the collectors, so that they can make more trips and therefore collect more garbage.
Q: City planning experts say that the main reason for the flooding is that many of the cities nalas, or natural drains, have been filled in and covered up as people reclaim land. One of these in the DHA, the Manzoor Colony nala, where it feeds into the Gizri Creek, has been reclaimed.
A: No. That’s not covered up. If you have a look right now, it is open. Actually, the problem over there initially was due to the railway chowk flyover. There was work going on. They were putting up pylons on the drain there, so that a bridge could be constructed to widen the existing bridge. KPT was doing that and they actually blocked the passage of the water. So the moment the rain started, we asked KPT and we opened it up. Nothing is blocked.
Q: But originally there was an area of the Gizri Creek-Manzoor Colony nala, before it emptied itself into the sea, that used to be one km wide and now it is only 25 feet wide. Houses may not be built yet, but land has been reclaimed and plots have been made.
A: No plots have been laid on that. And no encroachment on the nala has happened. You can’t just leave it open so that it splits. You have to channelise the sewer in a certain direction. And if you see the width from this bridge, where it enters into the DHA area, right up to Gizri Creek it is the same width. It has not been reduced.
Q: You have said that right now one problem is a lack of equipment. What kind of comprehensive assessment of all the issues have you made since the rains occurred and what have you concluded?
A: Yes, there is a shortage of equipment. That is definitely one area in which we need to improve. Similarly, we have done the preliminary study, made note of the badly hit areas and assessed why the water accumulated. The reasons have been identified, consultants have been hired to resolve these problems and, God willing, they should be able to do something this year.
Q: Residents pay a lot in water and property taxes. Do you think they are getting adequate service for their taxes?
A: Everybody pays taxes and expects a response. If I was living in DHA and there was water standing in front of my house, I would feel upset.
Having said that, though, even in the most developed countries, when this kind of event happens, it takes time to clear the area. So people have to have patience and understand we had a shortage of equipment and could not deploy it on every street.
Q: Sometimes the flood water from the street seeps into people’s homes and businesses and causes damage. Does the DHA have any plans to compensate anyone for any damages they suffer to their property, homes or cars?
A: Let me be very honest – we are sympathetic, but we have no such plans. I accept that most of the properties that were affected were in the commercial areas, in basements. But some responsibility also has to be taken by the individual. They have to make arrangements so that the water does not flow in. If you cover every inch of land and don’t have a proper drainage system, naturally you’ll have a problem.
Q: Many, if not most, roads in the DHA have no drainage system. Why aren’t the roads planned to include storm water drainage like they are all over the world?
A: In some areas storm drains were planned. At some stage the existing sewer lines were choked and the storm drains were converted into sewer drains. We are looking at that also. Actually, we have shut some of those drains and we have made the storm/sewer drains functional.
In areas where you don’t have this type of drain, you follow some kind of pattern. In other countries, there are some channelisation systems along the roadside, which direct the flow of water.
In these rains we identified the areas where this type of channel system will work. Most of the water was stagnant in areas where we have built new roads because now the level of the streets has gone down and the new roads have come up. So the water could not flow out of the streets, it was blocked by the height of the road. We are looking to redo the streets, and dictating the directional flow on the road. We are planning on building a footpath on the side. Once the footpath and the curb are laid, the direction of flow for running water will be towards the sea. All our roads, if you look from north to south, are moving in the direction of the sea. So, if we manage this type of arrangement, I think the water can be automatically drained out without even having the storm drains.
Q: Can this be done before next year’s monsoon season?
A: Work will start soon. DHA may not be able to address all the areas, but definitely, the most affected areas that have been identified during this rainy season will be covered. In any case, we are starting to redo the roads and streets that have been damaged by the storm water.
We will be starting in a month or so. Initially we are doing patch work, and then we will do the complete re-layering of the road surfaces. Again the areas will be distributed between DHA and Cantt, so that the work can be executed with speed.=](InterviewBrigHussain-Sept2006_files/shapeimage_2.png)
from:
- Brigadier Maqsood Hussain
Administrator, DHA Karachi
Administrator, DHA Karachi
“The sewers were cleaned. I personally did spot checks”
Find out more on Karachi’s 2006 floods in these interviews: