President Asif Ali Zardari has emphasized the urgent need for a comprehensive plan to prevent urban flooding in Karachi. He stressed that the Sindh Government must adopt a sustainable and long-term strategy based on international best practices to effectively manage sewage and stormwater, safeguarding the metropolitan city from urban flooding.
President Zardari made these remarks while presiding over a meeting focused on preventing urban flooding, addressing environmental degradation, and promoting sustainable water resource development at Aiwan-e-Sadr today. Attendees included Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Adjutant General Lt General Muhammad Asim Malik, Local Government Minister Mr. Saeed Ghani, Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Asif Hyder Shah, CEO of Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation Syed Salahuddin, Country Head of Herrenknetch Pakistan Col (r) Danyal Naveed Ahmed, along with senior government officials and local and international water management experts.
During the meeting, international water and sewage management experts delivered a comprehensive presentation, proposing various solutions to tackle the challenges of urban flooding and sewage management in Karachi. They suggested adopting models similar to the tunnel sewer systems in Washington DC, the London Super Sewer Project, and Singapore’s Deep Tunnel Sewerage System.
The briefing proposed developing a network of small and large sewer tunnels beneath existing roads in high-flood zones of Karachi. It was highlighted that utilizing modern underground tunneling techniques would minimize disruptions to the public, city traffic, and land ownership.
