20000223

KWSB announces

simplified procedure

for water connection

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) on Tuesday announced a simplified procedure for the issuance of no-objection certificates (NoC) for the grant of water connection to commercial, industrial and construction projects.

KWSB Managing Director Brig. Muhammad Bahram Khan said at a press conference that all applications for the NoC would be disposed of within 28 days after three such applications are received by the KWSB.

To process all applications for the grant of the NoC a four-member committee has been constituted. Besides the KWSB MD as its chairman, other members include DMD (Technical Services), DMD (RRG) and chief engineer (water distribution).

All applications received in the office of the DMD (TS) will be scrutinised within four days and passed on to the chief engineer for the report regarding feasibility/availability of water and waste discharge arrangements. The chief engineer will not take more than seven days in finalising his report.

As soon as three applications for the NoC are received and processed, a meeting may be held by the KWSB MD for final decision on the application. If the request is acceded to, further process of challan payment and necessary official formalities to document the permission for connection may take at the most 13 days.

To a question regarding billing the consumers without supplying them water, Brig. Behram Khan said that the meters would be installed gradually for bulk and individual water supply points and all billing would be strictly according to consumption of water.

He said water and conservancy bills would be computerised at a central place, which would be linked with four sub-centres. The consumers will be able to get their bills from any of the four sub-centres.

The KWSB managing director said the shortage of water would be tackled and proper arrangements would be made to systematise water distribution in the city. He said valve operators will be directed to perform their duties efficiently.

Brig Behram Khan said that despite the availability of 450 million gallons water per day and loses of about 30 percent to 35 percent, there is enough water for the city. However, its distribution system needed improvement.

He said the sewerage system of the city would be looked after three agencies, KWSB, KMC and the DMCs, and this had created duplication of work and confusion.

Brig. Behram Khan said that the system could only be improved if the three organisations performed their functions without shifting responsibilities to each other.

The city has more than 4,000-km service sewers lines and about 100-km main lines. The service lines are to be cleaned either by the KMC or by the DMCs and the main by the KWSB, he added.

The KWSB managing director said that if the main is cleaned by the KWSB without the cleaning of the service lines by the KMC/DMCs, the entire system would get choked and there would be a catastrophe in the city.

Brig Khan called for a joint effort to tackle the sewerage problem.