Lyari sinks deep in a sewage crisis

As filthy water floods locality, residents claim problem remains unaddressed due to ‘political’ factors

KARACHI:

It took years for Lyari to free itself from a prolonged gang war that had stalled movement and progress in Karachi's oldest neighbourhood. But the end of this violence, apparently, was not to be the end of Lyari's plight.

The area still finds itself in the clutches of a faulty drainage and sewerage system, sinking deeper into filth day by day.

"It is a like a no-go area once again," lamented Muhammad Hussain, speaking to The Express Tribune. Sharing his ordeal, as well as that of others living near Lyari's Al-Falah Road, Hussain related that some elderly residents, including a woman, had even sustained injuries due to the pooled sewage water flooding the area's streets and roads. "It has become difficult to go anywhere."

According to Muhammad Ishaq Hingoro, a shopkeeper in the area, residents have been knee-deep in a sewage crisis for the past two years, with filthy water taking over the streets over the last month.

The situation seems to have aggravated further over the past two weeks, hampering life in Lyari, particularly in Agra Taj Colony, Bihar Colony and localities near Al-Falah Road and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Road.

As a result, while local businesses have been affected on one hand, residents, especially the elderly, have been confined to their homes on the other.

"This mess has affected us economically and socially," explained Hingoro. So much so, that some shopkeepers and residents have now started considering a move to cleaner areas, he added.

Expressing dismay at Lyari's state, Muhammad Hanif, who lives near Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Road, pointed out that the accumulation of sewage water even posed a risk to children's health, making them prone to water-borne diseases. "Our lives are at risk!" he decried.

'A political issue'

According to Lyari's residents, many among them have approached local government representatives and elected representatives about the issue, but to no avail.

Hussain said that authorities' apathy continued despite three MPAs, an MNA and the South district municipal corporation (DMC) chairperson residing close to the affected areas.

In his eyes, nobody seemed interested in resolving the issue as "it is more of political problem than an administrative one."

Echoing similar views, Hingoro explained that the areas near Al-Falah Road were a political battleground. All major political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and Jamaat-e-Islami have strong roots there, he said. "Common residents suffer because of the political clash," he added.

"None of the political leaders listen to us," decried Hanif, who had gone as far as raising the issue on social media to draw attention to it. "And some exasperated citizens even pasted political leaders' photographs beside gutters and sewers." Despite these extreme steps, though, their cries fell on deaf ears.

Hanif primarily held PTI MNA Shakoor Shad responsible for Lyari's deteriorating condition, adding that the inefficiency of the local administration and the construction of high-rise structures, too, contributed to the problem.

Promises, promises

When contacted, Shad admitted to being aware of the issue. "We will soon replace old and damaged [sewerage] lines with new ones," he said, assuring that the work would be initiated soon.

South DMC chairperson Malik Fayyaz, who belongs to the PPP, remained unavailable to comment on the matter despite multiple attempts to contact him.

Full circle

Disgruntled by long-unfulfilled promises and the authorities' apathy, Muhammad Siddique, another Lyari resident, told The Express Tribune that when Fayyaz visited the area on the second day of Eidul Azha, he was abused by infuriated citizens.

"People here have been inconvenienced by the uneven supply of water and [faulty] sewerage system," he said. "Our basic rights have been snatched by politicians. In the past, we suffered because of the law and order situation, and our suffering continues due to the unavailability of drinking water and the [lack of a proper] sewerage system."

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2020.