The killer open manholes of Lahore

Theft of manhole lids is common and residents feel complaints are not addressed immediately

LAHORE:

Either broken due to wear and tear or stolen to feed an addiction, the missing manhole covers in Lahore are a safety hazard for the city’s pedestrians and motorcyclists alike.

Presently there are more than 418,000 manholes in Punjab’s capital and in areas like Gulberg, Garhi Shahu, Shadbagh, Baghbanpura, Multan Road, gutter covers are either broken or stolen. According to conservative estimates by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), about 10,000 gutter covers are stolen and damaged each year, leading to road accidents and broken limbs. Despite efforts by WASA to curtail the threat that is open gutters, instances of slime covered children or motorcyclists being rescued from manholes is common in Lahore.

Residents of the city complain that their pleas of covering up manholes always fall on deaf ears, so they have to take matters into their own hands by either placing tree branches over the gutters or putting bricks around them to alert the public of the imminent danger. Naveed, a resident of the Johar Town area, informed that his complaints about stolen or broken gutter lids in the area to WASA were not entertained. “The officials said it was not their responsibility but the responsibility of the housing society I live in,” Naveed said, “I disagree, when consumers like me are paying the bills to WASA, then it is their responsibility.”

Similarly, Muhammad Ijaz, a resident of Garhi Shahu, while talking to The Express Tribune, lamented that missing gutter covers is a consistent problem in his locality. Most of the lids stolen in the area are by drug addicts looking to trade them in for cash. “New lids are only installed after several complaints but by that time the lack of a cover on gutters has already broken a few bones and caused a couple of accidents,” Ijaz said whilst complaining about WASA’s laxity.

Read: Manhole claims life of eight-year-old

Recently, the incident of a child falling into a manhole in Faisalabad, has prompted the provincial government to adopt a strict policy regarding the dangers of missing covers. A circular issued by the Chief Secretary Punjab, Kamran Afzal, to the Managing Director (MD) of WASA states that children fall and die in open manholes, which is a cause for shame.

The circular also states: “Some officers are not fulfilling their primary responsibilities. In this regard, if any manhole cover is found missing, MDs of WASA and Chief Officers of Local Government will be held responsible.” Further adding that strict action would be taken against concerned officers for negligence in their duty.

The Chief Secretary has also directed that officials must conduct weekly monitoring of all manhole covers. In light of the circular and to prevent lid theft, WASA has now decided to use recycled plastic covers instead of iron covers. WASA officials familiar with the matter, told The Express Tribune that the lids made from recycled plastic are not only less prone to breaking or theft but will also decrease WASA’s financial loss.

According to Deputy Managing Director, Ghofran Ahmed, a dashboard has been set up by WASA and any complaint regarding missing covers is immediately addressed. “WASA has to install gutter covers on a large scale every year and now a zero tolerance policy is being adopted to ensure that the WASA team reaches problem areas immediately,” he said.

Talking about other initiatives the department has taken, Ahmed informed that an app has been developed by WASA which provides 24 hour monitoring. “Overall in Lahore, the situation has improved, due to the installation of Safe City cameras, the number of incidents of theft of gutter covers has decreased,” Ahmed told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2022.