Missing gutter lids endanger pedestrians

KWSB officials allege that the crime of stealing manhole covers has taken wing in the last few years

KARACHI:

An Express Tribune report from a few weeks ago brought to light various groups of organised criminals to be involved in nicking iron fences from the city’s greenbelts and highway crossings. It appears that the same outfits, man-powered by petty criminals and drug addicts, have now shifted their focus to another precious metal on the streets: manhole covers. Owing to this, Karachi’s streets have become a hazard for citizens on foot, in addition to the incremental damage open manholes have been causing to the city’s already dilapidated sewage system.

While on the other hand, Karachi Water and Sewage Board (KWSB), the government body responsible for the city’s water and sewage infrastructure, has reportedly failed to keep up with the fast disappearing and shambly manhole covers. Despite several complaints from a citizen about incidents of people falling into uncovered manholes, a majority of gutters in areas like Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Landhi, Korangi, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Lyari, Pir Colony, Orangi Town, Federal B Area, Federal Capital Area, Garden, Ranchhor Line and Kharadar, remain uncovered to date.

When probed regarding the piling complaints an official of the District Municipal Corporations also maintained that maintenance of water and sewerage system is the responsibility of KWSB. “However, complaints of leakage in water lines, sewage manhole overflow, and unavailability of gutter covers are common in these areas. It’s mostly drug addicts who nick manhole lids; they are made of a hefty amount of metal and can get a pretty decent price in the junk market. To steal the lid, these addicts also break street lights so that it goes dark and they can easily commit the crime without being identified. Complaints are usually lodged after the lid disappears. The staff of the water board eventually comes to the area and puts a new lid on, but this process can sometimes take months during which the gutter remains open and is a hazard for anyone walking the dark streets,” the official told, on conditions of anonymity.

Speaking in this regard, a KWSB official who was not authorised to speak to the media, said that gutter-cap theft has been an epidemic in Karachi for decades, but the crime has seen a significant increase in the last couple of years, making it difficult for the department to replace all the lids in time. “In the past, police mobiles used to patrol at night but now it is less frequent which is benefiting these criminals and addicts,” the unnamed official alleged, offering a reason for the surge in crime.

Per KWSB Chief Engineer Aftab Chandio, manhole covers disappear for three reasons: they are either stolen by drug addicts, picked up by slum-dwellers to cover gutters in their areas, or are removed or broken by citizens during monsoon season to create rainwater drainage. “The water board tries to cover the manholes immediately in case of any complaint. Available manhole covers are immediately delivered to the area and covers are placed. We do not have any shortage of funds in that regard, but when there is a shortage of manhole covers then tenders are called for its preparation and this process takes some time to complete, which is the only reason for the delay,” he told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2022.