People living in Clifton and Defence, joined by Jamaat-e-Islami, intend to file a case in the Sindh High Court on Friday regarding worries surrounding the Nehr-e-Khayyam scheme, as about 80% of the building work is finished.
This legal filing aims to secure the historic water channel and ensure adequate drainage systems to stop city floods during severe downpours.
Local property owners worry that new concrete additions and alterations to the stream bed might block stormwater and ocean tides, endangering adjacent houses with inundation.
They also raised doubts about environmental permits because the Local Government Department asked the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency for advice on October 26, long after building had already advanced significantly.
Rasha Tariq, speaking for the Clifton Residents Committee, stated that laborers kept building day and night. She asserted that three channels constructed beside the stream could increase flood hazards, mentioning residences that suffered water damage last year following the installation of one channel.
Saifuddin Advocate, who serves as Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Deputy Chief, noted that officials only requested an environmental impact assessment after local protests began. He argued that officials needed to complete the required assessment prior to greenlighting the initiative and launching construction.
