Karachi’s roads – a death trap

The deaths of children after falling into open manholes and ‘naalas’ have become a routine occurrence. The number of such incidents multiplies in rainy weather, which is, in fact, around the corner. It is a pity that there are hundreds of uncovered manholes in almost every under-privileged area and katchi abadi. The apathy on the part of the government to deal with the main civic issues demonstrates that the lives of poor people hold less to no value. In just two weeks, at least four children have died after falling into uncovered manholes in different parts of Karachi.

Many cases go unreported. Three teenage boys in Lyari, Steel Town and Baldia Town died after falling prey to these dreaded manholes, while a five-year-old girl was found in a ditch when the rescue workers were trying to search for a three-year-old Jawad Khan, who had fallen into the Lyari River near his house in Madina Colony. Fortunately, the rescuers recovered the girl immediately. The families told the media that they don’t have any other option but to reside in katchi abadis and hence cannot stop their children from going out of their homes all the time.

Rescue workers took four days to recover Jawad Khan’s body as it had decomposed in the garbage piled up in the river. Does a human life deserve such a terrible death? Are there any open manholes or rotting rivers in upscale areas of the city? Does the government not care about poor people as their lives are cheap?

Five months ago, a 25-year-old social activist Alamgir Khan launched a campaign titled ‘Fix it’. Trying to convey a strong message, Khan stencilled the chief minister’s face next to garbage piles and manholes with a message: ‘Fix it’. Taking notice of the campaign, the chief minister Qaim Ali Shah warned officials to fix the manholes in the city within two days’ time or face the music. It’s been over five months and sadly, nothing has been done. The children would not have lost their lives, had the officials paid heed to the campaign.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2016.