KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) for disallowing the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) access to one of its two sewage treatment plants (STPs) for inspection.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Ageel Ahmed Abbasi directed the DHA to ensure inspection of the treatment plant by a team of Sepa.It also ordered Sepa to file the inspection report before the bench on May 10.

Sepa also filed a report stating that the DHA was generating around eight million gallons per day (MGD) sewage; out of which 3.33 MGD was being disposed of into the sea without treatment.

At the last hearing of a petition filed by some non-governmental organisations in 2017 against release of untreated effluent and industrial waste into the sea, the bench had ordered inspection of the Seaview beach, examination of STPs, efforts of DHA and Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) to prevent contamination and recommendations to keep seawater at purity level as per international standards and aquatic/marine life eco-system.

When the bench took up the matter for hearing on Wednesday, the lawyer for Sepa complained that the DHA had not allowed access to its team to inspect the STP locatedat Golf Club, DHA.

The bench expressed serious resentment over the lawyer for DHA and asked as to who had stopped the inspection team.

It directed the DHA to allow access to the Sepa team for inspection of its treatment plant.

In its report, Sepa stated that the DHA had installed two treatment plants at Golf Club and Kublai Khan near Seaview with a capacity of 2.4 MGD and 2 MGD, respectively. The DHA is generating 8 MGD sewage and around 3.33 MGD raw sewage was being discharged into the sea.

It further stated that during the first visit, the team observed that STP located at Kublai Khan was found not operational and the officer in charge there said it was not functioning for the last couple of days due to a technical problem.

On the second inspection, the treatment plant was found functional with a maximumcapacity of 2 MGD at that time. Samples had been taken from inlet and outlet of the STP, it added.

The report stated that on March 22, the Sepa team attempted to examine the second STP located near DHA Golf Club, but its management did not provide access to them.

It also recommended that the DHA and CBC should make both STPs operational on a full-time basis and develop remaining three STPs.

Sepa stated that the DH A and CBC should also file a plan for monitoring of key environmental parameters at different locations of the beach.

`Untreated industrial and domestic effluent being dumped in the coastal areas of Karachi due to lack of comprehensive collection and treatment facilities of domestic and industrial waste leading to cause adverse effect on marine ecosystem,` it added.The report also stated that the city was generating 472 MGD waste while optimum design capacity of STPs were 151 MGD, but only 55 MGD was being treated.

It further stated that the Sindh government, through the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board, had taken initiative for upgrade of TP-I, TP-III and TP-IV so that the municipal wastewater could be treated.

The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) was also planning to install TP-V to treat wastewater and then dischargeintothe sea.

However, despite a passage of four years to the directives of the Supreme Court and a court-mandated water commission, no progress had so far been made about such treatment plants, the report added.

It recommended that KWSB to complete all STPs as soon as possible as well as to install combined effluent treatment plants in industrial areas through joint venture of government and industrial associations.