A city's shame

The recent death of a three-year-old boy who drowned in an open manhole in Karachi is yet another reminder of the incompetence and corruption of city managers in the country's largest urban centre. The boy was reportedly the 22nd child to die after falling into a manhole in Karachi this year alone. One death would have been a tragedy; 22 is a crime of the highest order.

While the city government is going through the same old playbook with a few officials being suspended and promises of inquiries, if they were actually serious, heads would have rolled 21 deaths ago. Instead, the government opens a blame game with nearby stores and construction companies, ignoring that its own negligence and corruption allow unscrupulous private parties to get away with wrongdoing. There is a reason why nations of laws do not need to worry about manhole cover thefts, and it is not because people there do not try — it is because the thieves are punished, and the stolen covers are quickly replaced.

In front of TV cameras, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab took responsibility for the recent incident, yet no one has suffered any real consequences. If Wahab were serious, he would have taken executive action to address the situation, or, if the bureaucracy is too powerful, he could always resign as mayor and turn to his pre-politics profession — law — to personally file a case against the government.

The government also needs to seriously look into installing plastic manhole covers wherever safely possible, as these have almost no resale value for criminals but are safe to use as long as their load rating is not exceeded. Composite manholes with higher load ratings are also available, and although they can be somewhat pricey, the long-term savings from their not being stolen would compensate for the additional financial cost, not to mention the human cost of missing manhole covers.