• KCF convener stresses need for strong political will to fix most basic problems
• City can’t handle even 10mm of rains with choked drains, says urban planner
KARACHI: Expressing serious concerns over the way the metropolis has been governed for the past several decades, civil society representatives said on Monday that the death, devastation and public chaos Karachi experiences with every monsoon have more to do with bad governance — corruption, inefficiency and absence of political will — rather than climate change.
The civil society held a press conference under the platform of the Karachi Citizens’ Forum (KCF) at the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) House, where one of the speakers emphasised the need for what he called a supra provincial body to run Karachi.
Describing the situation as “depressing”, the speakers said that cost-efficient solutions to urban flooding were available and that there was no dearth of skilled and talented manpower in the city to implement them to help minimise rain damages.
“We need a strong political will to fix the city’s most basic problems. The continued official neglect towards the sewerage and drainage system has led to a situation where monsoons have become a source of fear and devastation,” said KCF convener Nargis Rehman.
She urged the civic authorities to learn from other countries and improve city’s fragile civic infrastructure.
The city, she pointed out, was run by 21 different agencies that took action only after damage, adding that the Met department’s warnings of heavier than usual rains were ignored this year, too, and timely steps, including cleaning of choked drains, were not taken.
Highlighting flaws, urban planner and researcher Muhammad Toheed stated that there was no question of flooding in Karachi, if its geology, natural slope and terrain had been considered in its growth and development.
“The city has 38 big drains and over 500 small drains. The operational maintenance of most of these drains is the responsibility of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). The problem started in 1996 when the [then] Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) turned the big storm water drains, meant for discharge of rainwater, into sewer channels, instead of upgrading its network.
“Furthermore, storm water drains were heavily encroached upon and narrowed down, reducing their capacity. The path of these channels was completely ignored in the construction of development projects, including flyovers, underpasses and Bus Rapid Transit ventures, resulting in flooding in many areas.”
‘Drains being used for dumping solid waste’
Another problem, he said, was using storm water drains for dumping solid waste. “Hence, the KMC, KWSB and Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, all need to collaborate to tackle the issue.”
Citing a World Bank report that states Karachi has the capacity to handle 30mm to 40mm rain, Mr Toheed said the city would have this capacity with cleaned and not choked drains. “In the present situation, the city can’t handle even 10mm of rains,” he remarked.
Giving examples of other global cities, Mr Toheed said they adopted different strategies, including establishment of deep tunnels and underground flood water diversion systems and making use of latest drainage technology.
“First of all, we need to have a proactive approach. Second, we should think of harvesting rainwater and replenishing our underground water reservoirs, given the fact that the city faces serious water scarcity. We can take a cue on this from Lahore where three million gallons of rainwater is now collected in tanks,” he said.
He warned that there might not be water tankers after five years in the city, while citing example of Gulshan-i-Rafi in Malir where water table had gone down to 600 feet.
‘Supra provincial body’
Senior journalist Mazhar Abbas said he saw no hope for the city, given the fact that Karachi was not in the government priority list and corruption marred all state departments.
According to him, the rampant illegal construction of high-rises without first devising a system for sewerage and drainage and encroachments of drains, has destroyed the city.
Retired Justice Shaiq Usmani spoke of the need for setting up a “supra provincial body”, representing all sectors, overseeing Karachi’s administration.
In their remarks, Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro of the PMA and Dr Qaiser Sajjad of KCF said that the present situation was a man-made disaster.
“It’s time for action. We need to invest in a robust, modern drainage system. We need to enforce strict anti-encroachment laws and set up a sustainable waste management system,” Dr Shoro said.
Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2025
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