Untreated sewage being released on to Clifton beach
CCB says the treatment plant has reached its capacity
By Qadeer Hussain
KARACHI: Raw sewage is being discharged from a treatment plant in DHA into the sea as the plant has been malfunctioning for some time now, investigations by The News have revealed.
The sewerage treatment plant, which is run by the Clifton Cantonment Board (CCB) at Sea View has stopped functioning properly say its operators and that is why untreated sewerage is being discharged "occasionally" into the sea.
The discharged sewage runs across Seaview and Clifton beach and is a source of concern for the public. The plant was inaugurated by the former administrator of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Brig Maqsood Hussain on December 20, 2003. The authority concerned built 17 sewerage tanks near Masjid Usman Ghani, besides 'Caffeine' a restaurant which was previously known as Kublai Khan.
This treatment plant was initially meant to treat sewerage from a few phases of DHA so that the sea would not be polluted by directly discharging the sewerage into it, say officials. The plant functioned properly in its initial years but, later, it developed some problems owing to which it could not treat sewage water and was then converted into a storage area where sewage water would be held and then resupplied for watering gardens in DHA areas.
"The tanks serve now as a storage place where sediments are allowed to settle and then the clearer water is supplied through tankers to parks and gardens in the vicinity," said one official.
One of the reasons for the failure of the plant to function is cited as the absence of the chemicals and substances that were used to clean the sewage water before it was discharged in the sea. Another reason, say officials, is that the amount of sewage that the plant is expected to process is well beyond its capacity.
These days, the plant has become a storage facility for sewage water. When the sewerage in the tanks start overflowing, the untreated sewage is released into the sea. This sewerage water is primarily used for watering the gardens within the vicinity of DHA through tankers. The tankers are supplied with sewerage water through these constructed sewerage tanks - mostly during the daytime.
When tankers are not being loaded with the sewerage water, the personnel of CCB deputed at this treatment plant open the valve of tanks and allow the sewerage to flow into the sea. If they don't open the valve then the sewerage tanks would start overflowing, they argue, and this would lead to sewage water on the main roads.
The danger to public health comes from the fact that the beach on which this untreated effluent is released is where hundreds of people gather and swim or simply wade. An official of CCB when contacted to get the version on this story said that the total sewerage water was not going untreated into the sea.
He added, however, that the sewerage which comes from Tauheed Commercial Area is beyond the capacity of the plant. He said rest of the sewerage is properly treated through the plant. He claimed that CCB is planning to enhance the capacity of this treatment plant so that thorough sewerage could be treated effectively.
thenews.com.pk
By Qadeer Hussain
KARACHI: Raw sewage is being discharged from a treatment plant in DHA into the sea as the plant has been malfunctioning for some time now, investigations by The News have revealed.
The sewerage treatment plant, which is run by the Clifton Cantonment Board (CCB) at Sea View has stopped functioning properly say its operators and that is why untreated sewerage is being discharged "occasionally" into the sea.
The discharged sewage runs across Seaview and Clifton beach and is a source of concern for the public. The plant was inaugurated by the former administrator of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Brig Maqsood Hussain on December 20, 2003. The authority concerned built 17 sewerage tanks near Masjid Usman Ghani, besides 'Caffeine' a restaurant which was previously known as Kublai Khan.
This treatment plant was initially meant to treat sewerage from a few phases of DHA so that the sea would not be polluted by directly discharging the sewerage into it, say officials. The plant functioned properly in its initial years but, later, it developed some problems owing to which it could not treat sewage water and was then converted into a storage area where sewage water would be held and then resupplied for watering gardens in DHA areas.
"The tanks serve now as a storage place where sediments are allowed to settle and then the clearer water is supplied through tankers to parks and gardens in the vicinity," said one official.
One of the reasons for the failure of the plant to function is cited as the absence of the chemicals and substances that were used to clean the sewage water before it was discharged in the sea. Another reason, say officials, is that the amount of sewage that the plant is expected to process is well beyond its capacity.
These days, the plant has become a storage facility for sewage water. When the sewerage in the tanks start overflowing, the untreated sewage is released into the sea. This sewerage water is primarily used for watering the gardens within the vicinity of DHA through tankers. The tankers are supplied with sewerage water through these constructed sewerage tanks - mostly during the daytime.
When tankers are not being loaded with the sewerage water, the personnel of CCB deputed at this treatment plant open the valve of tanks and allow the sewerage to flow into the sea. If they don't open the valve then the sewerage tanks would start overflowing, they argue, and this would lead to sewage water on the main roads.
The danger to public health comes from the fact that the beach on which this untreated effluent is released is where hundreds of people gather and swim or simply wade. An official of CCB when contacted to get the version on this story said that the total sewerage water was not going untreated into the sea.
He added, however, that the sewerage which comes from Tauheed Commercial Area is beyond the capacity of the plant. He said rest of the sewerage is properly treated through the plant. He claimed that CCB is planning to enhance the capacity of this treatment plant so that thorough sewerage could be treated effectively.
thenews.com.pk
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