The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and district administrations have started removing soft encroachments from the 11.25km long Orangi nullah in Karachi.
It is one of the three stormwater drains that are being widened to ensure a smooth flow of rainwater. The other two are the Gujjar and Mehmoodabad nullahs.
The Sindh government decided to remove encroachments around these drains following the August 2020 urban floods in Karachi.
The Orangi nullah runs through the Keamari, Central and West districts. A KMC team started removing soft encroachments near Lyari Expressway in District Keamari. This is the point where the drain ends in the Old Golimar area.
Another team cleared encroached land in Kashmiri Mohalla in the Central district. Officials removed around 300 shanties, godowns, sheds and cattle farms.
A 2-km-long strip of the drain was cleared of these soft encroachments Friday.
In the first phase, the KMC is removing soft encroachments from the banks of the Orangi nullah. It will be followed by the demolition of more than 1,700 concrete structures on both sides of the drain.
On Saturday, the KMC and district administration will start removing soft encroachments near the Pakistan Bazaar police station. It is the point from where the Orangi nullah starts, Senior KMC Director for Katchi Abadis Mazhar Khan said.
An anti-encroachment operation has also been underway along the Gujjar nullah. It began on February 18.
KMC staffers removed encroachments from a 2km area starting from its zero point at Nala Stop in New Karachi, Senior KMC Director Anti-Encroachment Bashir Siddiqui said.
