‘Understating Karachi’s population is injustice’

Mayor claims city has around 35m residents; says it does not get enough resources for them

The population of the provincial capital has been severely understated, claimed Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, asserting that while records showed the city as having 15 million people, there were actually around 35 million people residing in it.

Kicking off road construction and the revamping of sewerage lines in Korangi on Wednesday, Akhtar maintained that understating the city's population was an injustice.

"The Chief Justice of Pakistan himself said that Karachi's population is around 35 million. Those in power should take notice of the injustice being done with the metropolis, as resources are disbursed as per the population," he said. "How can the city's issues be resolved when it is not getting enough resources?"

However, the mayor said they were trying their best to deliver to the citizens despite limited means, adding that while the people were already struck hard by inflation, civic issues such as water scarcity, a collapsed sewerage system and the lack of transport had added to their miseries.

Meanwhile, he pledged to resolve Korangi's problems, adding that it was necessary to fix the sewerage system before constructing a new road in the area. He further stated that the construction and repair of Korangi's sewerage lines would be completed within four months at a cost of Rs50 million.

"The fragile sewerage system is the Korangi's biggest problem and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is trying to resolve it on its own despite limited resources," he claimed.

Akhtar added that development projects were being carried out at the union council level across the city and would soon be completed.

Moreover, the mayor announced that 62-acre Kidney Hill Park had opened for the public on Wednesday, adding that its land had been encroached when he took charge of his office. "We have not only got the land from clutches of the grabbers but also converted the land into a beautiful park," he said, adding that the anti-encroachment drive would continue across the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2020.