News
Monday, March 01, 2010
Karachi’s sewerage may choke entirely
By Irfan Aligi
KARACHI: The entire drainage system of the city is vulnerable to choking owing to the rampant use of polythene bags below the thickness of 300 microns.
According to a survey, the city’s main sewerage lines and storm water drains are packed with raw material, garbage, wooden pieces and polythene bags.
Although the authorities have declared the use of polythene bags below the specified thickness as illegal, the necessary law to curb the illegal use of polythene bags is yet to be drafted, passed and promulgated. The former city government had sent a summary to the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency for amending the gauge of the polythene bags from 30-milli microns to 300 almost a year ago, but the matter is still pending with the agency.
The Sindh Home Department and the city government had also on various occasions imposed Section 144 of the CrPC to stop sale, use and manufacturing of polythene bags of less than 300 microns, but these measures proved futile in controlling the menace, since the steps were never strictly implemented.
The proper implementation of Section 144 is enough to tackle with the situation because it ensures that use of polythene bags below the specified gauge would be a punishable non-bailable offence and a cognisable crime allowing police intervention to lodge an FIR under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code. However, the traders of polythene bags have expressed astonishment over the suggestion for using polythene bags of 300 microns gauge, as they claim that such a dense gauge was enough to mould a car’s body.
The traders had staged a protest on the pretext that the ban on use of polythene bags would render around 300, 000 workers and manufacturers jobless. However, they had consented to follow the guidelines, but later they refused to do so.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk