Residents write to CM Murad, urge halt to construction on Karachi's Nehr-i-Khayyam

The Clifton Neighbourhood Association (CNA) wrote a letter to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, expressing worries about the construction at Nehr-i-Khayyam and requesting the full project report, approved engineering drawings, information about the engineering firm and engineers, and the PC-I. This letter demanded that the project's scope, cost, and approvals be made public.

The CNA, mainly made up of residents from Clifton Block 5, questioned the Nehr-i-Khayyam rehabilitation plan and asked for a halt to the construction of the concrete box drain, which they saw as an intrusion. One resident, Rasha Tarek, said the work was happening quickly, including at night. After protests on two Sundays, a meeting with the residents and project representatives was held by Syed Najmi Alam, the adviser to the CM, in Dr. Fareeduddin Sethna Family Park the following Wednesday.

The residents again objected and demanded to see the project's design, particularly the narrowing of the waterway and its effects on stormwater drainage, tidal connectivity, flood risk, and the environment. They were unhappy with the incomplete plans given to them and wanted the full project report, approved engineering drawings, information about the engineering firm and engineers, and the PC-I, including project scope, cost, and approvals, to be made public.

They also questioned the proposed treatment plant's role and how it would be implemented and funded. The residents were unsure about which parts were funded, which were not, and how the project would be completed. A PANI representative said they had no part in building the drains currently being built, which led to more questions about who was responsible for the drainage work and how it related to the bigger rehabilitation project.

When the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) question was raised, project representatives said one had not been done and they would look into it. The residents said a project that would change a major urban waterway should be supported by a proper environmental assessment, independent technical studies, and clear public consultation before any changes that can't be undone.

Syed Najmi Alam promised to pass the residents' demands to the chief minister and said the CM had asked him to submit a report after the protests. He also promised that the construction debris causing problems in the neighbourhood would be removed within a week. The CNA's letter to the CM contained seven demands, including an immediate stop to construction and the removal of encroachment at Nehr-i-Khayyam, a full EIA to be made public, an independent hydrological and drainage study, opposition to the commercialization of the Nehr-i-Khayyam land, and no part of the waterway to be covered or any structure to be raised above its level.