KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, keeping in view the water requirement of the city, has decided to install two new seawater desalination plants and acquire a seawater desalination plant abandoned at the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (Kanupp).

“This will help to provide drinking water to the people living in old areas of the city to the DHA,” he said while presiding over a meeting to review the status of some projects of the city here at the CM House on Sunday.

Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, Local Government Minister Nasir Shah, KMC Administrator Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, P&D Chairman Hassan Naqvi, Karachi Commissioner Iqbal Memon, LG Secretary Najam Shah, and Special Secretary to the CM Raheem Shaikh.

Officials said that Karachi has a population of 20 million and its water requirement stood at 1,200 MGD against which 655 MGD was being provided showing a shortfall of 535 MGD.

“The KWSB has prepared a scheme to set up a seawater desalination plant of 5 MGD capacity to supply water to the users in district South,” LG Minister Nasir Shah said.

Officials proposed three locations for the installation of desalination plants – Ibrahim Hyderi, Ayesha Masjid DHA-VII, and Seaview – near the village restaurant.

The CM approved the location of Ibrahim Hyderi at Korangi Creek, which is around two kilometres away from Dhari Island.

The intake from the location would supply water to the Ghazi Pumping Station via Coast Guard Chowrangi where another pumping facility is available as a backup in case of a failure or other emergent circumstances at the station.

CM Murad directed the LG Department to install another five MGD desalination plants near Lyari so that it could be provided water from there. He also directed the LG minister to talk to a private firm, which had installed a 1.2 MGD desalination plant to provide water to Kanupp.

“Kanupp has installed its own plant therefore that plant was abandoned and could be used to provide water to the city,” he said. Nasir added that he had held a meeting with the private firm concerned and they were ready to enhance plants’ capacity.

Bridge on Korangi Crossing Causeway okayed

The chief minister approved one-kilometre bridge on the Korangi Crossing Causeway, approaching from the DHA and 200km after the causeway.

Murad set the timeline of the bridge and directed the LG Department to complete a detailed design by August 31, bidders’ post qualification (international tender) by September 30, bid evaluation and award of work by October 31, and start the construction by November 1.

Earlier, the bridge was proposed to be constructed under the public-private partnership mode but now it would be an annual development programme scheme of Rs5 billion.

Officials said the additional 65 MGD water would be brought through Haleji Lake to Pipri via an integrated system of the canal, conduit, pipeline, pumping station, and other necessary ancillary works.

LG Minister Nasir said that the balance of 65 MGD water would be drawn through Kalri Gujjo Canal to the proposed Gharo Pumping Station. The works proposed to be taken include four packages.

The chief minister directed LG Department to restart the work on the packages so that the project could be completed at the earliest.

He also discussed the Hub Canal overhauling project and directed the LG department to remove all issues of the project and start it.