Hyderabad:
Hyderabad’s business community has called on the Sindh government to stop allowing the construction of housing projects or industrial zones along the officially declared waterways, canals and storm drainage. In a letter addressed to Sindh Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday, the Hyderabad chamber in small trade and small industry (HCSTSI) also urged a topographic study of the Indus River and all its channels.
“This issue affects direct urban planning, disaster management, flooding prevention, environmental sustainability and public security,” emphasized the chamber’s President Muhammad Saleem Memon. He said that the building’s activity on waterways and interventions has made destructive consequences for the people.
He added that in 2022 the monsoon rains caused losses of hundreds of billions of rupees in Karachi, Hyderabad and the rest of Sindh. The chamber suggested that the provincial government start GPS, GIS and Topographic Studies from the point where the Indus River starts in Sindh to Zero Point by the Arabian Sea.
The studies should also include channels, distributions and the natural and man -made storm drains. Memon suggested that the report should be notified in Gazette after the end of the investigation, in addition to being made available to the public online. He referred to a study and said 20 percent to 30 percent of the rain or flood -related losses in Sindh are attributed to intervention.
He emphasized that the Sindh government’s legislative arms such as Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), the development authorities, local organs and the irrigation department must be immediately aimed at enforcing the investigation. The President of the Chamber pointed out that redirections in the natural drains of the Hyderabad area have also created massive economic losses for the industry.
“The old storm drains have been interventioned on or blocked, causing serious injuries.” He emphasized that the erratic weather patterns involving over-normal rainfall and flooding, thanks to climate change, have required dedicated planning and action to prevent people from suffering losses in the future.
The chamber also required an immediate stop for mining in the mountains, especially the Khirthar series, as it said contributed to the recent urban flood in Karachi. Business also emphasized the need for decision -making in the climate insurance domain.
