Numerous cases of diarrhoea are registered daily
KARACHI: Karachi is the centre of the country’s economic activity and was once referred to as the city of lights for its vibrant life. The streets were washed at night with light posts illuminating every spot. But now all this has become a dream, for today’s Karachi is the opposite of what we learnt about it from our elders.
The city of Karachi we find today is loaded with problems. Sewerage problem is the most serious one of the day. It’s impossible for pedestrians to walk the streets that are almost covered with gutter water overflowing from drains. These lines were laid back in the day accommodating the needs of a much smaller city, however with the growing population, these lines turned out to be too small to bear the burden of the increasing population of a poorly-managed metropolis. The line which is cleaned and cleared today, gets chocked again within a couple of days, leaving the filthy water standing in the corners of the streets and giving rise to a number of waterborne diseases.
Numerous cases of diarrhoea are registered daily. At least 20 to 28 per cent of deaths in Karachi occur because of the consumption of contaminated drinking water containing bacteria and other germs. Stagnant water and sewage on the roads lead to malaria and other diseases. As a consequence of overflowing gutters, roads and streets stink, children remain absent from school and adults are not able to reach their workplaces on time, so the economic activity is affected negatively. It is high time that the federal government intervened and forced the local authority and the provincial government to take immediate steps to save Karachi from unhygienic conditions.
Muhammad Anas
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2018.
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