Another day, another crater on the road

Large hole in the middle of Tipu Sultan Road slows down traffic flow

KARACHI: Citizens of Karachi had to brave yet another traffic jam on Friday morning when Tipu Sultan Road was clogged due to a large crater in the middle of the road.

The huge hole emerged on the main road as the sewerage line beneath the road was damaged due to the presence of organic gases inside it. According to the spokesperson of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), Nazir Mateen, the sewerage line had no issues earlier and it collapsed due to the organic gases that are formed inside the line.





The crater slowed down affected the flow of traffic on Shaheed-e-Millat Road from Baloch Colony Flyover till Tariq Road. However, traffic police remained on site to manage the flow. They had cordoned off the area around the hole since it is expected that the pit will expand over time.

East traffic SP Qamar Rizvi told The Express Tribune that since it is one of the busiest roads of the city, the traffic police deployed more than the required squad. "We will try everything possible to manage the flow of the traffic," he added.

KWSB engineer superintendent of East district, Wajid Siddiqui, said that due to the heavy flow of traffic, they can only start working late at night. He further added that all the necessary arrangements have been made. "We are just waiting for the traffic flow to ease so that casualties can be prevented," he told The Express Tribune.

Wajid added that the damaged pipeline measures 24 inches in diameter and it was damaged because of the high amount of organic gases. He added that no damage has been caused to the surrounding water pipelines. Talking about the estimated time of the repair, he said it will take 48 hours.



NED University architecture and planning department chairperson Dr Noman Ahmed told The Express Tribune that there are different kinds of organic gases in sewerage lines, which cause these blasts in the pipelines. "But to prevent such incidents, vent pipes are made for ventilation," he said. "It is a scientific process. If organic gases are packed inside, friction will cause them to burst." He further explained that these gases depend upon the type of waste being flown in sewerage lines. He added that proper ventilation system can prevent such incidents from happening.



Karachi Metropolitan Corporation technical director-general Niaz Ahmed Soomro told The Express Tribune that they are working in coordination with the officials of the KWSB and that they will construct the road once the water board will be done with the repairs of the pipeline. This is not the first time that the citizens of Karachi faced such turmoil.

Damaged pipelines or overflowing gutters are a frequent sight. Citizens passing by the pit expressed anger for the government. Few were seen having arguments with the constables of the traffic police since the right turn to Tipu Sultan Road was closed from the Shaheed-e-Millat signal.

A motorcyclist, Jibran, said sarcastically that these are all gifts for us. "Unexpected gifts that we receive daily from our government," he said. Another taxi driver, Wasif, hoped that things will get better since the elections of local government have taken place.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2016.