A city of crumbling roads

Usage of substandard bitumen, lack of engineering expertise have destroyed the longevity of major avenues in the metr

KARACHI:

It is often said that difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations. But what leads to difficult roads? The saga of infrastructural neglect featuring in key roles the Sindh government, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), and the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) is here to explain.

Despite the allocation of adequate funds and manpower, major roads in the metropolitan hub have continued to be in disrepair for several years, despite sporadic attempts at their repair and resurfacing. Unable to withstand the wear and tear of the rains, many of these roads have developed sinkholes owing to the substandard nature of the smuggled bitumen used in their construction and repair. Furthermore, in the absence of checks and balances in place, the concerned authorities have scratched random roads with machinery in the name of reconstruction or patchwork, leaving them in a devastated state for an indefinite period.

According to a survey conducted by The Express Tribune, a total of 100 roads across Karachi, including the MA Jinnah Road, New MA Jinnah Road, SM Taufiq Road, Shahrah-e-Pakistan, Rashid Minhas Road, University Road, Altaf Barelvi Road, Nishtar Road, Jail Road, Jamshed Road, Hakeem Ibn Sina Road, Sher Shah Suri Road, Garden Road, MT Khan Road, Hub River Road, Korangi Industrial Area Road, Sir Ibrahim Rahimtolla Road, and Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi Road, were either suffering from disrepair at various points or had developed deadly sinkholes.

An officer from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, noted that four main factors contributed to the current state of Karachi's road network. "Firstly, the appointment of inexperienced and incompetent engineers has prevented good quality work. Secondly, KMC's Inspection and Quality Control Department has been inactive for the past eight years allowing substandard repair work to go unnoticed. Thirdly, the closure of five asphalt plants owned by KMC and KDA has increased the reliance on adulterated construction material imported from Iran. Lastly, there is a dire lack of consultants for mega projects and other smaller projects for guidance on civil engineering, architecture, land testing, drafting, designing and monitoring," disclosed the officer.

Muhammad Tauheed, an urban planner, while commenting on the state of roads in the port city alluded to the fact that there was no system for monitoring the condition of newly-built connective infrastructure. "While a post-project evaluation process is conducted worldwide, there is no such system here. Since poor quality materials are being used in road reconstruction and repair, newly constructed roads do not even last a year, even though roads are expected to last at least a decade in other countries. Moreover, there is no consideration for road engineering during construction while slopes are also not built to prevent rainwater from pooling in and damaging the road," explained Tauheed.

In fact, a detailed investigation on the state of two major roads-Jehangir Road, costing Rs220 million and the Expressway, costing Rs600 million- revealed that both had undergone reconstruction work without the appointment of an engineering consultant and had hence shrunken at various places after the recent rains.

Kaleem Usmani, Chairman of UC-5 Martin Quarter, stated that due to poor materials and construction, Jehangir Road was in a deplorable state. "Just six months after its repair, before the monsoon season, a dangerous four-foot-deep pothole appeared in the section where underground line replacements had not been made. During the recent rains, the road also sank at various points. To hide its poor performance, the KDA has done patchwork. The drainage channel that has been constructed is also of poor quality while thousands of tons of debris remain on-site. Furthermore, the paving blocks on the footpath have been placed in such a way that they can be easily removed by hand," informed Usmani.

In addressing the criticism, Chief Engineer Tariq Mughal maintained that all materials used in road construction were of good quality. "The Expressway is still under construction and not yet complete. This road has been constructed in line with fixed standards, and there is no compromise on quality," claimed Mughal.

When asked about the situation, a spokesperson for the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) stated that the Sindh government has allocated Rs1.5 billion for the repair of 33 roads in the first phase. "More tenders will be issued for additional roads in the second phase," he added.

The Express Tribune reached out to KDA's Chief Engineer Tariq Rafiq, but he declined to respond to calls.