Hyderabad(HRNW )President Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders & Small Industry (HCSTSI), Saleem Memon, has expressed grave concern over the worsening clean water and sewerage crisis in the city, stating that the Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation has completely failed in fulfilling its basic responsibilities. He said the institution has been unable to effectively provide essential services ranging from the supply of clean drinking water to proper drainage of sewage, and the burden of this failure is being directly borne by citizens and the business community.
He further stated that the current administrative structure of the corporation is ineffective and lacks transparency. Instead of operating under a structured and accountable system, the institution is being run on discretionary decisions. Employees are not being paid salaries on time, while the city is facing a severe shortage of sanitary workers. Shockingly, several sanitary workers are shown on daily wages in official records, but physically they are not visible on the ground.
The Chamber president pointed out that residents, particularly in Latifabad and Qasimabad, are compelled to hire private sanitary workers to get their drainage and cleanliness issues resolved, which raises serious questions about the performance of the concerned authority. He said that HCSTSI had previously proposed establishing an effective mechanism through Union Council Chairmen and allocating at least four permanent sanitary workers to each Union Council so that sanitation and sewerage issues could be addressed at the local level. Unfortunately, this proposal was never implemented.
He added that a complaints committee formed to address issues related to water supply and billing held only one meeting. Although certain recommendations were formulated and a representative of the Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders & Small Industry was also included, those recommendations were shelved and no further meeting of the committee was convened, nor were any of its recommendations implemented.
Saleem Memon stated that it has generally been observed that whenever an emergency situation arises, immediate funds are released for temporary relief measures, but no serious strategy is adopted to run the institution on a sustainable and long-term basis. Despite packages and announcements worth billions of rupees by the Government of Sindh, the corporation has failed to improve its performance.
He further stated that it was on the demand of the Hyderabad Chamber that WASA was converted into the Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation in order to improve its financial and administrative management. However, unfortunately, the performance of the institution appears to have deteriorated even further. Given the current situation, the Chamber believes there is no option left except to hand over the institution under a full-fledged Public-Private Partnership model, similar to the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, so that it can be run on professional and accountable lines.
Saleem Memon also emphasized that the situation has become even more painful during the holy month of Ramadan. The unavailability of clean water during Sehr and Iftar timings is causing immense hardship to citizens. Forcing fasting individuals to use contaminated and foul-smelling water is unacceptable.
The Chamber President has urged the Chief Minister of Sindh and other relevant authorities to take immediate notice, conduct a comprehensive audit of the institution, restructure its administrative framework, and seriously consider adopting a Public-Private Partnership model. He warned that if urgent and practical measures are not taken, the business community, along with the citizens, will be compelled to announce its future course of action.
