Hyderabad:

The Sindh government will inject more than RS20 billion on a number of development schemes in Hyderabad in the financial year 2025-26. However, some of the most needed development projects regarding water filtration plants, wastewater treatment plants and public parks do not find a publicity in the public sector development program (PSDP).

Pollution of the River Indus and its channels in Hyderabad will continue unabated in the coming years because the government seems to be least bothered in treating municipal, commercial and industrial wastewater released in waterways.

In addition, the city’s water needs are increased manifold due to the waving of the population, but only small capacity water filtering facilities of about six million gallons per year. Day is built instead of a central plant with a higher capacity.

The toxic industrial wastewater from the Hyderabad area is derived from Phuleli Canal, which is a drinking and irrigation water source to Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan and Badin districts.

The zone’s industrialists are for some years sure that the provincial government will build for them a combined wastewater treatment plant.

However, the budget has kept the status of CEPT for the Hyderabad site which did not approve with an outlay of RS100 million and zero allocation for this year.

In addition, there are also reflections of schemes that have witnessed years of delay in the release of the earmarked funds, which consequently delays the project’s implementation and ends up increasing costs. There are some other projects that, although they appear less significant, but have secured massive funds.

Two years ago in 2023, the government had approved the installation of three traffic signals in Hyderabad with the cost of RS233,486 million. A gentle sum of RS11,674 million was released in the outgoing financial year, while the next year the RS30 million will be obtained more, a total of 18% of the total allocation.

This shows plenty of how authorities are wasting years to implement some of the vital projects for the city, which should be rounded off in a few months considering the severe traffic problems.

Phase III of the larger Qasimabad drainage scheme was kicked off in 2017 with a revised budget of RS3.1 billion. This project is likely to be completed in June 2026 with the release of the remaining total amount of RS230 million.

Another project approved in 2017 relates to the construction of road, support wall, drainage and biased bridge on the right side of the old Phuleli channel extending from Preetabad to Darya Khan Pumping Station.

A revised sum of RS4,923 billion will be spent on the project, whose completion status will be 85% in June 2026, even after eight years. The provincial government had approved the construction of a sanitary landfill for Hyderabad in February 2017. Out of the total estimated costs of RS461.9 million, it will only receive RS25 million by 2025-26.

The construction of 9.66 kilometers long Tando Jam-City Pass road on Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas Road was also approved in May 2017 with over RS2 billion outlays. With RS98.5 million fund distribution to the next fiscal policy, 90% of the total Bypass Road budget will be released in June 2026.

Authorities have also planned to recondition and construct two of some most important roads in Hyderabad. One of them extends from Shahbaz -Flyover on Thandi Sarak to the Latifabad Unit 7 Railway Downfall and the other from the grid station in Qasimabad to the former national highway.

However, shocking, however, a colossal sum of RS1,038 billion has been proposed in the budget for the two roads whose total length is about 2 km. The government releases RS519.3 million for the project in the coming budget year.

The ongoing expansion and reconditioning of the Autobahn, the longest commercial path in the city, has already taken too long to express dismay of the traders and commuters.

The RS3.2 billion project, which also includes the construction of a new drainage system under the road, will receive 94% of the total sanctioned funds. The scheme was approved in October 2022 and it was revised on May 29, 2023.

In the higher education sector, Government College University will receive RS119.7 million to finish the construction of border wall for the total cost of RS200 million, while for Varsy’s upgrade RS17.8 million will be given.