Overflowing sewers irk Karachiites

Lack of maintenance, dilapidated drainage infrastructure has resulted in foul smelling water puddles across the city

KARACHI:

A lack of attention to the sewerage system of the country’s most populated city has resulted in overflowing gutters, which have become a source of nuisance for nearby residents, pedestrians, and motorists.

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s (KWSB) disregard for maintaining Karachi’s sewage system in a routine fashion for the past 15 years has made life miserable for the city’s residents - particularly in the areas of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Johar, Landhi, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Liaquatabad, FC Area, FB Area, PECHS, Qayyumabad, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, New Karachi, North Karachi, Soldier Bazar, PIB Colony, and Garden.

“The population has increased manifold and we are still relying on the decades-old sewage system, which is severely damaged at many places across the city,” informed Muhammad Toheed, an urban planner based in the city.

“For instance on Jehangir Road, the sewage pipes have been broken for years now and the foul smelling water has flooded the road but no one bats an eye.” Toheed, who is also an analyst at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), believes that the KWSB’s negligence means the populace of Karachi has to pretend that dirty water puddles on every road is the new normal.

“However, it is this gutter water which is a source of stench in the entire city and will soon become a breeding ground for malaria and dengue mosquitoes,” remarked Toheed. Muhammad Salim Khan, the head of a local residential project union, concurred with Toheed’s assessment. He said that they had contacted KWSB and other local bodies multiple times to fix the sewers and cover the open manholes but none of the officials were responsive.

“They keep blaming each other for the problem and we keep helplessly running from one office to another.”