Monsoon mismanaged

Rain in Karachi was followed by inundation of roads, choking of drains and parts of the city were left without power

Governance in Pakistan often relies on the principle of taking action when an issue is already well underway. Our lack of foresight is most starkly revealed by natural phenomenon which occur regardless of whether we have contingency plans in place or not. In recent years, monsoon rains and their adverse impact on the daily lives of Pakistanis have exemplified the lack of preparedness on the part of authorities. Monsoon rains are not an unheard of occurrence, however, every year without fail they to cause much damage to both public and private property and unfortunately result in injuries or even death.

The country’s largest metropolis, Karachi, which is often left bereft of the rains that fall abundantly over the rest of Pakistan, received its fair share during the past couple of days. Not unexpectedly, this was followed by large-scale inundation of roads and choking of drains by garbage that had been piling up on roadsides unattended. Traffic was gridlocked and many parts of the city were left without power due to tripping of power feeders. This was not the happiest start to the monsoon season for the people of Karachi. Although such problems are often blamed on the sheer size of the city, this time the management admitted that they were not prepared for this level of rainfall as they had underestimated the warnings of the meteorological department. The causes for this state of affairs are many and none of them have to do with the vagaries of the weather. Lack of planning, resources and a generally apathetic attitude towards the upkeep and management of Karachi create problems that are eminently solvable yet end up causing inconvenience to thousands. While most evident in Karachi, these problems exist across the country and monsoon rains often exacerbate existing issues with electricity, sanitation and traffic management. More rain has been forecast in the coming days in Karachi and the rest of the country and it is hoped that city administrations will be better prepared to deal with the resulting issues than they have proved to be in the past.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2016.

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