A drowning Karachi

Letter July 01, 2016
The downpour also caused sewerage problems, hours-long traffic jams and power outages

KARACHI: Karachi received the first of the monsoon rains recently, which while turning the weather pleasant, at the same time, also wreaked havoc in the city. It was reported that two people died due to mishaps caused by the rain. A 12-year-old boy was electrocuted while playing on a street in New Karachi and a three-year-old girl died when a wall collapsed in Orangi Town.

The downpour also caused sewerage problems, hours-long traffic jams and power outages in most parts of the city. Although it was merely a two-inch rainfall at the maximum, around 200 feeders of K-Electric tripped and major thoroughfares were submerged in rainwater putting thousands of lives at risk. Traffic signals stopped functioning, and the absence of traffic officials on the roads also caused blockades. It is time the government of Sindh woke up and solved these issues before the rains claim more lives and cause more damage.

Sadia Aslam

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2016.

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