Stench season

Almost a week after Eid-ul Azha, the residents of Karachi are suffering from a stinking city as mounds of garbage and rotting offal line the streets of urban localities. This filthy aftermath of a mismanaged sacrificial system has almost become an Eid tradition, with bikes and cars swerving to avoid sacs of animal faeces lying brazenly on roads. Another core tenet of Karachi's crisis management has also been fulfilled with Mayor Murtaza Wahab going around town claiming that the government has "performed exceptionally well" and has the situation "completely under control".

'Under control' currently translates to the complete lack of a comprehensive cleaning strategy that equally prioritises all parts of the city instead of only major roads and prominent areas. The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) claimed to have fulfilled its responsibility by presenting a relatively neat 'exterior' of the city, conveniently ignoring multiple areas that are still laden with foul-smelling trash, animal remains and decaying waste.

This putrid state of Karachi is almost absurd. Its citizens have already become accustomed to an all-year-round stench absorbed in the very fabric of this city owing to its disastrous waste management system - but the current condition surpasses all limits of civic decency.

When the government pays no heed to designating communal spots for animal sacrifice, the bare minimum it can do for environmental and public health is to carry out a meticulous cleanliness drive after Eid. The SSWMB is supposed to be responsible for fumigation services, lime treatment and disinfection to minimise the risk of diseases and mosquito breeding. But somehow, expecting basic hygiene practices from the government is an exercise in wishful thinking. Standard waste clearance alongside fumigation and disinfection treatments now must be carried out in every corner of Karachi before infections spread and the hospitals fill up.