Karachi's civic infrastructure, suffering from years of neglect, has been badly damaged by the recent monsoon rains. Urban planning experts underscore the need for greater coordination among all civic agencies to deal with inclement weather such as rain. All concerned stakeholders such as KMC, KWSB, and Sindh Building Control Authority as well as law enforcement need to work together to deal with rain-related issues.
The city's urban infrastructure is an accident waiting to happen. And that is putting it mildly. The fears of residents of this sprawling metropolis were confirmed when the civic infrastructure failed miserably in the last two rain spells and the city descended into chaos. Traffic came to a standstill, many areas were flooded and power supply was disrupted as electricity installations had standing water around them.
Years of neglect and lack of foresight by urban planners is the primary reason for Karachi's plight. It is no longer a problem that any single civic agency can tackle on its own. All stakeholders such as KMC, KWSB, Sindh Building Control Authority, Karachi Building Control Authority, law enforcement, and K-Electric will have to work together. Civil society will also have to come forward and help with this effort. Awareness campaigns such as the one being run by the power utility can only do so much. Action on the ground is needed.
In the recent rains the federal government claimed that the provincial government had failed to fulfil its duty over the last ten years and the impact is being felt, year after year. Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar openly admits that he is helpless, citing paucity of funds and lack of authority. He has now appealed to the Pakistan Army to step in and assist.
For the past few decades Karachi has been growing in a haphazard manner with settlements cropping up everywhere. The pace of population growth can be attributed to the city's rapid industrialization since the 1970s which attracted a steady inflow of much-needed skilled and unskilled labour from across the country. Much of this influx was in unplanned slum settlements.
According to some studies, the city owes its more than one-third growth to these unplanned settlements with little or no civic infrastructure. It only adds to the city's problems that it is practically divided between three players now, the KMC, Defence Housing Authority and the Cantonment Board.
If we look at waste disposal alone, the Karachi Mayor recently said that due to lack of funds out of the 13,000 tons of solid waste generated daily, more than 6,000 tons of solid waste and more than 500 MGD of sewage water are dumped into the sea untreated. A lot of the uncollected garbage makes its way into the sewerage system and into storm drains. The city has 38 of them, and all of them were clogged when the recent spell of rains hit it.
Urban flooding is a chronic issue in Karachi which is compounded by the weakness of other infrastructure such as a leaking and clogged sewerage system, growing piles of garbage and a dilapidated road network which regresses into a network of potholes and sinkholes when it rains.
A number of vital services including fire brigade, ambulance, water supply and electricity are affected when it rains and the weaknesses in civic infrastructure are painfully exposed. Urban experts have been sending out warning notes for some time now that Karachi's unplanned development is a ticking time-bomb. The havoc wreaked by the heatwave a few years ago was a stark indication of things to come. The recent rains and the high human cost is another.
The city's power infrastructure was hit during the last spell of rains and a lot of it was because of urban flooding. There was little or no effort seen on the part of civic agencies such as the KMC or the KWSB to drain away the water. District administration asked the power utility to switch off electricity in many areas because urban flooding around power infrastructure was posing a safety risk. It was not possible to switch power back on until the water was drained, which took days in many areas.
Encroachment around power infrastructure is another impediment, first to periodic maintenance, and then to repair efforts. Often political will is lacking to deal with encroachments and the building control authority is clearly failing to establish its writ. We have seen numerous photos of power infrastructure encroached and completely surrounded by structures. Here again, the responsible agencies will have to step in and ensure compliance of building control laws so the power utility can do its job.
The pervasive kunda culture is another threat to stable and reliable electricity supply and a safety hazard as well. Federal Minister for Power Ayub said on the floor of the House that kundas in Karachi are a menace and that they are among the leading cause of electrocutions as well. The power utility is regularly seen removing these kundas but once again, it cannot enforce the law. Electricity theft needs to be dealt with a strong hand if it is to be curbed. Law enforcement has to play a pivotal role and ensure kundas once removed, stay off. And the power supply stays on.
There have been numerous calls to action, the most recent being a letter written by K-Electric to Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani urging the custodians of the city and concerned stakeholders to come together on a common platform and do something to ensure that the chaos that emanated after the last rains is not repeated. So far there has been no obvious response.
(The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the newspaper)