RAINWATER drains in the city are all choked, filled with plastic bags, hospital waste, garbage disposed of from houses and metallic junk thrown out by small industrial units functioning near drains in the low-income localities.
Wooden planks, branches of trees, dried leaves, carcass of stray dogs and cats decompose in stagnant swear in these drains. Children living in nearby slums and kutchi abadis, which are usually set up on either side of these nullahs play in it.
Throwing water on each other or feigning swimming in this dirty water is their favourite activity. Unmindful of the harms that this water can bring to them many of them gargle with it and throw it on their playmates to amuse themselves. These nullahs also serve as breading and rearing grounds for mosquitoes, fly, cockroaches and rats - most common carriers of germs of deadly diseases.
The old city, which mainly comprises Mithadar, Kharadar, Bunder Road (now M.A. Jinnah Road), Soldier Bazar, Saddar, Queens Road, Kemari, Bath Island and parts of Clifton, has a chain of these nullahs. In addition to this chain, there is Lyari River, which also serves similar purpose. After the city was expanded, new nullahs were constructed with a view to keeping the city dry and clean. Instead of bringing relief to the people, these nullahs have become health hazard for the entire city population.
The present position is contrary to the desire of the planners. The city government has assigned low priority to these drains and has reconciled with the changed use of these drains - mostly as garbage disposal pits.
Drains in Old City remained clean in the early days of Pakistan but as the population increased and the state authority began to erode, encroachment of land alongside these drains began and the municipal officers engaged themselves in other lucrative assignments. The crumbling of the system could not be checked.
Now the city government and the town committees do not arrange for regular cleaning of these drains. They do not have regular check on the people living in the vicinity of these drains depositing garbage in it with complete impunity. Eateries are also established along these drains and the entire waste and leftover collected from these eateries goes back to these drains.
Once an attempt was made to beautify the city through massive plantation of trees. It was considered appropriate to plant eucalyptus as the climate of the city suited it. It was considered as one of those trees that would need less water and survives on the moisture available in the atmosphere.
Though the experiment succeeded but its plantation along the drains did not prove a successful activity. Eucalyptus grows fast. It gains height quickly but its girth takes time to increase its circumference. It roots, in search of water, pierce through hard surface and even break concrete construction.
Most of the trees that were five to six years old and planted alongside rainwater drains damaged these drains and made them dysfunctional. Many of them are in need of massive repair and cleaning. In other words the rehabilitation of these drains calls for huge investment.
Though the civil society has lost all hopes in the city government and town committees but still it is their responsibility to cultivate public opinion on the subject. Leaving everything to government seems to be a little too much. People should know that the government is only a facilitator and the targeted beneficiaries are to make the surroundings worth living.
The purpose of rainwater drains is multiple. These are not supposed to be converted into sewer disposal channels. For the disposal of sewer there is sewerage system and its functions should not be given to rainwater drains.
The rainwater drains should have flowing water which should be clean. These drains should be lined up with trees which do not become massive with the passage of time and which bloom in spring. There should be periodical cleaning of these drains so that silt deposit is within control. Though it seldom rains in Karachi but to remain prepare to receive rains in monsoon is always advisable.
To keep these rainwater drains clean is joint responsibility of the civil society and the local civic body. They should jointly draw a strategy to educate people about the proper use of these drains and keep an eye on unscrupulous people depositing garbage there. Once the system has been brought in order, improvement would take place.
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