Rain aftermath: Residential areas in Malir inundated, locals distressed

DCs of Korangi and Malir fight over jurisdiction of Saudabad

KARACHI/HYDERABAD: Residents of District Malir continue to deal with the aftermath of the two-day intermittent rainfall, as residential areas around Quaidabad, Malir 15, Malir Halt and Saudabad remained inundated with rainwater and sewage on Monday.

The rainwater that entered their homes on Saturday was not drained out till Monday morning, a resident of Rafah-e-Aam Society, Khurram told The Express Tribune. "We were trapped inside our homes," he said, adding that their sewerage system had already collapsed and after the rainfall, the situation went beyond their control.

Karachi plunges into darkness as rain pours down

"The entire area was inundated. Due to the presence of knee-deep water in the area, I couldn't enter the locality on my motorcycle Sunday night," shared a resident of Shamsher Society, Tanveer Ahmed.

The situation in Saudabad was far worse. A resident of the area, Danish, said that the sewer coming from Saudabad connects to the sewerage line of Malir 15, where it goes towards the rain drain. He pointed out that the entire sewerage line was broken, which is why Saudabad streets were inundated. After the rainfall on Saturday and Sunday, the residents of the area were left to deal with the situation on their own, informed Danish.

"A sewerage line from Saudabad through Jinnah Square reaches Malir 15 and then it is connected to the rain drain," claimed Pakistan Peoples Party’s elected chairperson from the area, Jan Muhammad Baloch

"This line has badly collapsed and after the rainfall, the water pressure increased in the area due to which the rain drains overflowed," he explained, blaming former mayor Mustafa Kamal for the faulty construction of the line.

Jurisdiction conflict

Malir deputy commissioner (DC) Muhammad Ali Shah said that Saudabad falls under the jurisdiction of District Korangi, claiming that the situation in the rest of Malir was mostly under control.

"Saudabad is still under the jurisdiction of Malir, as the notification to include Saudabad in Korangi has not been issued yet," said Korangi DC Zaman Narejo.



Farmers suffer

Meanwhile, the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) claimed that the monsoon rains have adversely affected the cotton and chili crops in Hyderabad. The SCA said the growers have suffered millions in financial loss. They appealed to the government to provide financial help to the affected farmers.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2016.