Open manholes jeopardise public safety

Sewers with broken, stolen lids expose nearby locals to risk of fatal fall, injuries

KARACHI:

Children cheerfully playing out on the road or adults hastily making a quick trip to the nearby market rarely stop to access the condition of the road they are treading however, for locals in Karachi who never know which uncovered manhole could be the opening into their grave, each and every step is a matter of life and death.

Despite a budget of millions of rupees allocated for the upkeep of sewer coverings, due negligence in part of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) and other related institutions, has led to the current deplorable condition of sewers in the port city, where the lids of countless manholes are either broken or stolen. As a result, the open manholes covertly threaten the lives of the nearby locals especially the children and the elderly, who frequently fall into the sewers, sustaining serious injuries, which in some cases can become fatal.

Nasreen, a 60-year-old elderly woman, narrated her near death experience with an open manhole while she was visiting her relative in the Raees Amrohi Colony. "Since my eyesight is weak at this age, I failed to spot an open manhole in the street outside my relative's house and I fell into the sewer. Thankfully, the people standing nearby pulled me out of the ditch in time and my life was saved," recalled Nasreen, who sustained several injuries on her arms among other parts of her body.

Similarly, Kamran, a vegetable seller from Liaquatabad, shared the harrowing incident of his 10-year-old son falling into an open sewer. "The manhole's cover was missing, due to which my son fell into the sewer while playing in the street at night," shared Kamran.

While Kamran's son was lucky to be rescued from the sewer without any serious injuries, Bilal, who fell into an open manhole in Lyari, could not escape the devastating repercussions of the accident. "I was riding my bike through an intersection, when a car appeared in front all of a sudden. I took a sharp turn in order to avoid a collision but I ended up falling into an open manhole," regretted Bilal, who sustained injuries on his legs and spine and had to spend 15 days on bed rest.

"50 per cent of the underdeveloped areas of Karachi have open manholes. This is partly because the lids are made from substandard materials, which break due to the weight of vehicles," opined Muhammad Tawheed, an urban planner.

Expanding on the same, Muhammad Nadeem, a social leader, felt that missing manhole lids could also be attributed to the activities of drug addicts, who steal the lids to extract steel, which is then sold to junkyards.

"Whatever the reason be for the missing lids, open manholes, are a serious threat since people falling into the pits are likely to be physically disabled or killed as a result of the accident," commented Dr Naseem Rajput, a trauma emergency expert.

"10 to 15 people are injured in such incidents every month. Of those who die, 95 per cent are children," added Dr Farooq Mamji, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon.

Dr Mamji's observation was confirmed by a recent incident in Murad Memon Goth, where five children fell into a deep lidless manhole; while three of the children were shifted to the hospital in a state of unconsciousness, the other two lost their lives.

Similarly, Chaudhry Shahid Hussain, spokesperson of the welfare organization, Chhipa, revealed that a total of seven people had died and more than eight had been injured in fall incidents involving an open manhole since January 2024.

As per data obtained from the Jinnah, Civil and Abbassi Shaheed Hospital, approximately a total of 37 sewer fall incidents, with a high rate of injury, are reported annually in the emergency departments.

"The KWSC is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the sewerage system. Sadly, big claims are made verbally but no significant steps are taken in practice to install lines and cover manholes. Currently, North Nazimabad needs 2,500 manhole covers," asserted the Chairman of North Nazimabad Town, Atif Ali Khan.

"The KWSC is not short of funds and manhole covers are also available. For the current financial year, Rs180 million worth of funds have been allocated for the maintenance of manholes. The UC Chairman and citizens of the concerned area must contact us in case of a missing lid so that the issue can be timely resolved," said Aftab Chandio, Chief Engineer Sewerage at the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation.