In Kabirwala, located 10 km from Khanewal, the biggest problem is the lack of a proper sewage disposal system.

This area has a one-kilometre-long street called Khachianwali, which connects Kakar Hatta Road with Sardarpur Road. Throughout the year, this street has stagnant dirty water, causing damage to the foundations of more than half of the houses on both sides of the street.

The problem has been pending for five years, affecting around two to two and a half thousand houses in the area, including the adjacent streets.

Last year, local social activist Asim Shehbaz submitted written requests to Deputy Commissioner Khanewal and Commissioner Multan. He highlighted that the outer walls of his house were collapsing due to dirty water, causing heavy losses to hundreds of people in the entire area. He urged them to fix the sewage system. However, no practical action was taken on these requests.

This area is part of Nawan Shahr Gharbi, where dozens of streets face a similar situation. The cleaning staff of Municipal Committee Kabirwala activates the sewage line on one side, and as a result, the sewers start overflowing on the other side.

In a city with a population of over 350,000, almost every area faces sewage problems. The neighbourhoods near the main sewer line, the city’s only disposal system, have slightly better sewage and stormwater drainage conditions.

However, sewage issues are prevalent in other areas where more than half of the city’s population lives.

In 1985, the first disposal station, Joyanwala, was set up behind the Boys High School Ground and managed by Kabirwala Municipality. At that time, the city’s population was 50 thousand, according to official records. As the city grew in all directions, the sewage problems also escalated.

When the new local government system was introduced during the Musharraf government, the late Meher Zafar Ahmed Haraj was elected as Tehsil Nazim. Around that time, the Punjab government initiated a project named Southern Punjab Basic Urban Services Project for 21 tehsils in South Punjab, including Kabirwala. This project received financial support from the Asian Development Bank.

In 2006, under this project, Kabirwala Municipality began a major sewerage project, which cost Rs. 7 crore. They purchased an area of 712 kanals at Katta Budhu Anna, three kilometres away from the city. They constructed a disposal station, a screening chamber, two collecting tanks, and a pumping chamber. Additionally, sewage pipelines were laid in various areas of the city.

During the initial days of the project, local political representatives and municipal officials claimed that once completed, Kabirwala would be free from sewage issues, and drainage problems would be resolved. However, the outcomes were quite the opposite. Whenever it rains, the eastern and western areas of Kabirwala turn into ponds, creating a troublesome situation.

How did the experts go against the natural order of things?

According to a sub-engineer from the municipal committee, who wished to remain anonymous, the project’s design itself was flawed. The sewage lines were laid in the opposite direction of the natural water flow. Additionally, the land for the disposal station, which was meant to be constructed in the western part of the city, was purchased in the eastern part.

In the country, water usually flows from east to west, and the canal system follows the same pattern. However, the experts working on the mega project changed the drainage direction from west to east. They closed the Juianwala disposal works and connected the entire city to the new project.

He mentions another significant reason for the project’s failure was the lack of drainage provision for the ponds created to collect water at the disposal station. When these ponds fill up, the excess water doesn’t drain properly, leading to continuous flooding at the disposal station. As a result, water drainage in the city also gets blocked, causing various sewage-related issues. Frustrated by these conditions, citizens sometimes block roads and even organise processions to protest against the flawed drainage system.

During the month of Ramadan, many residents of Khachian Wali Street protested by blocking Multan Road. The then Assistant Commissioner and Administrator Municipal Committee, Khuram Hameed, held negotiations with the protesters, and as a temporary solution, the street pipelines were cleared. However, this only addressed the problem temporarily.

The citizens of Kabirwala are dissatisfied with the quality of development works. Muhammad Hussain Rufi, a resident, mentions that crores of rupees spent on drainage and street projects over the last ten to fifteen years have been wasted. The Public Health Department installed new sewage lines in Model Town, Basti Hussainabad, and Ward No. 11 to improve drainage, but the installation was not done properly. The project, costing more than one crore, turned out to be a failure.

The current administrator and assistant commissioner of Kabirwala Municipality, Mohsin Alam, stated that the administration is working to address drainage issues with available resources. The past mistakes cannot be attributed to the current administration.

According to the sub-engineer of the municipal committee, the SP bus project was a story of corruption, designed to receive kickbacks in the form of commissions. Now, the project duration is completed, and Kabirwala requires a new sewerage system.

Rehman Latif, Chief Officer of Municipal Committee Kabirwala, suggests that to solve the sewage problems, the system should be upgraded and divided into three parts.

The city’s population is divided equally between the eastern and western areas. To address the sewage issues effectively, separate disposal works need to be built for various regions, such as Mauza Maanwala, Kakkar Hatta Road, Sardarpur Road, Basti Hussainabad, Rahim Town, Model Town, Chahwariyamwala, Takbir Town, Multan Road, Government Hospital, Boys Degree College, and Civil Courts in Nawan Shahr Gharbi area. New trunk lines should be laid, and they should be diverted to Moolapur Rajbah Road, where new disposal works can be constructed.

Likewise, new disposal works are required on Makhdoompur Road to address the sewage problems of Jhang Road and its neighbouring communities.

According to him, Chichawatani is a small tehsil with 18 disposal works, whereas Kabirwala is a big city that requires more than one disposal works to address its sewage needs. He mentions that the municipal committee has already prepared suggestions and forwarded them to the higher authorities.

Engineer Faizan Ali Bukhari, the Sub-Divisional Officer of the Public Health Department in Kabirwala, also agrees that the sewage system constructed under the Southern Punjab Basic Urban Services Project has reached its completion. He informs that the Public Health Department has already sent estimates for the new sewerage system in Kabirwala to the government agencies.