Social welfare organisations – the saviour of rain-hit Karachi

Most hospitals in metropolis forced to keep their services suspended due to inundated rainwater

KARACHI:

If social welfare organisations like Edhi, Chippa, Al-Khidmat and several others were not present in the financial hub of the country who would have helped the people of Karachi — a question people in the metropolis are asking.

The recent record-breaking monsoon spell has washed away the claims of the Sindh government of “good governance” in the provincial capital which killed more than 40 people in Karachi and 80 across the province with scores left homeless.

The video, which went viral on Thursday, showed police vehicle that got stuck in a flooded part of the city’s main Sharea Faisal was rescued by the citizens including women with the help of rope.

Policemen being saved by people during heavy rain in Karachi @titojourno
@ pic.twitter.com/dv8uJhGuHM

— M. Waqar Bhatti (@MWaqar_Bhatti) August 27, 2020

That particular incident tells that that the city, which is a economic hub of the country, has been left at the mercy of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and thousands of workers and employees of local body departments — KMC and DMC — aparently could not be seen performing their duties.

However, besides NGOs, the Pakistan Army and its related organisations continued its relief operation work unabated, shifting stranded people to safe places and clearing rainwater with dewatering pumps.

In one instance on Wednesday, a boat of Edhi Marine Ambulance Service carrying Edhi Foundation chief Faisal Edhi and six others, including Sindh Assembly MPA Raja Azhar, capsized during a rescue operation in the deep sea near Sea View beach.

Faisal said that they were carrying out a search for eight drowned persons in Malir River and decided to sail via Sea View beach to reach the shore.

Similarly, other organisations also carried out relief work and extended all-out assistance to the people of Karachi.

Despite passing of almost 48 hours, the provincial government appeared failed to provide relief to the people of Karachi which remained plunged into chaos with many areas are still facing power cuts, flooding streets and cellphone outages.

The government as well as many private hospitals were forced to keep their operations suspended as their premises remain submerged with flash floods and no departments concerned reach there to carry out relief work.

Several meeting were held at the Sindh CM House on Friday but they proved to be eye-wash as no major relief were announced for the distressed people of the metropolis.