The Defense Housing Authority (DHA) has refuted SEPA’s (Sindh Environmental Protection Agency)claim that it refused to allow inspection of the sewage treatment plant (STP) at the DHA Golf Club.
According to a DHA spokesperson, no formal request was received by the authorities for an inspection of the STP. However, the spokesperson clarified that if SEPA had approached DHA, as it had done twice before for the inspection of STPs at Kublai Khan, DHA would have facilitated the inspection of the DHA Golf Club STP.
The DHA emphasized its commitment to environmental and social responsibilities and stated that it follows all legal and legitimate procedures for its development projects. It further extended full cooperation to SEPA’s inspection team. Samples were collected from the Kublai Khan STP in the presence of SEPA on April 3, 2023, and sent to an SGS laboratory recommended by SEPA for testing. The DHA spokesperson confirmed that the results from the laboratory showed that the treated effluent met international standards.
DHA Karachi generates an estimated 8 million gallons per day (MGD) of sewage and currently treats 4.4 MGD of it at its STPs, with over 50% of the treated water discharged into the sea. In contrast, the rest of Karachi generates multiple times more untreated domestic and industrial waste, which is discharged into the sea through Mehmoobad Drain and other sources without any treatment.
The DHA highlighted that the news report unfairly singled out DHA as a defaulter, despite its treated water discharge into the sea being only 3.3 MGD, compared to the rest of Karachi’s 417 MGD of untreated waste. The DHA reiterated its commitment to environmental and social responsibilities and stated that it will continue to follow all legal and legitimate procedures for its development projects.
