Karachi's foul inheritance

Areas in Karachi lending the city its allure are few and far between, with the sea being its major site of attraction. Even then, the Sindh government treats it largely like a garbage disposal. According to recent reports, the drainage network of the entire city has persistently been in a shambles due to administrative hurdles and funding feuds, causing the diversion of untreated sewage into waterways and the Arabian Sea. On one hand, most gutter lines in the city are not even connected to the KWSC's drainage network. On the other hand, none of the sewage treatment plants of KWSC are currently functioning, owing to needless reconstruction.

Karachi is no stranger to construction projects left midway, and KWSC's sewage treatment plants are no different. The S-III project - also called the Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan - was initially designed in 2007 and approved in 2013, with construction beginning a year later. Shortly after, the project fell victim to the city's curse of delays, and after an increase of almost Rs28 billion in the estimated cost, the project remains unfinished.

The blame game between the federal government and the Sindh government is a major cause of this hindrance, as both parties agreed to share the initial costs for the project but began quarrelling after cost estimates skyrocketed. Stuck between these two parties are the residents of Karachi who have tried and failed - yet keep trying - to make peace with a consistently foul-smelling city.

Unmistakably, the issue doesn't cease to exist after you ignore the smell. Karachi's sewage treatment crisis has caused the rise and endemicity of several diseases that continually claim the lives of a good chunk of the population every year. Delays in this project are not merely an inconvenience; they carry fatal consequences unless the city actively manages its waste.