Yesterday night Karachi received heavy showers and the city came to a complete standstill as a result. It left some areas of the cities flooded, roads washed away, and overall mayhem; it unveiled the acutely frail the essential infrastructure and government structures of the city. In this article, every significant event that happened on that night, the urban flood that ensued, the state of the roads, and the Karachi administrative machinery’s contribution to the current situation are elaborated on.
Incidents from Last Night
- Flooded Roads and Stranded Vehicles: Some of the major roads that were flooded include; Shahrah-e-Faisal, I. I. Chundrigar Road, and University Road which were filled with water to the extent of measuring feet. People were forced to spend several hours in their cars unable to move, cars stalled in the floods causing massive jams.
- Power Outages: Due to prolonged heavy downpours, there was a great and extensive black out in Karachi. K-Electric spoke of several feeder tripping incidences some of which rendered large sections of the city in the dark. That situation describes the idea or circumstance under which the utility company was finding it difficult to restore electricity.
- Collapsed Infrastructure: Some of the poorly constructed buildings and walls also caved in due to the downpour. Though there was no loss of life, several persons were injured and needed to seek treatment.
- Blocked Drains and Sewage Overflows: The storm flooded the city’s drainage system leading to water pollution by sewage that overflowed into the inhabitants’ area. This led to an unsanitary state and shrunk the time gap between outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
Urban Flooding
The heavy downpours resulted in urban flooding in many areas of Karachi. In areas such as Gulistan-e-Johar, homes in Nazimabad, Korangi areas of Karachi, and many more were filled with water. This is because the area does not have a working drainage system meaning that, water would accumulate in large quantities with little to no way of draining. People had to flee their homes and most of them moved to other areas with higher grounds or stayed with their relatives who lived in areas not as dangerous as theirs.
Broken Roads
The rainy season aggravated the state of the roads in Karachi beyond any possible repair. Combined with poor investment, insufficient repairs, most roads had expanses of large potholes and unacceptable cracks which posed dangers to users. Some of the regions that were most badly affected included Saddar, Lyari as well as Malir, where the washing away of roads made it worse for Karachi’s already strained traffic situation. Heavy traffic only amplified the impact of the problem with traffic congestion as it not only prolonged the duration of congestion but also saw an escalade in travel time.
Fault of Administration
Once again, the Karachi administration has proved to be incapable and helpless as the events of last night have shown. However, the meteorological departments failed to alert the authorities about the heavy shower that was to ravage the city shortly.
Several critical failures have been noted:
- Lack of Drainage Maintenance: Due to negligence from the administration, the drainage systems were not maintained and cleaned hence resulting in urban flooding. Most of them were choked with filth and chics, hindering the steady flow of water and thus worsening the condition of flooded areas.
- Neglect of Infrastructure: This is a result of poor investment in infrastructure and years of poor maintenance that has exposed the city to storms and other related cases of rain. The present crisis is partly a result of the administration’s complacency in failing to invest in infrastructure development and maintenance.
- Slow Emergency Response: There was a slow and rather lackluster response to the crisis. These residents pointed an accusing finger at FEMA for taking a long time to offer assistance with some areas reporting no FEMA assistance at all. They mention that the administration was not ready to respond to such incidents and that the latter’s emergency planning was poor.
Updates from Different Areas
- Clifton and Defense: Despite being developed and densely populated residential and business areas these places were flooded with water entering some houses and businesses. This was made worse by force blackouts that saw residents having no electricity supply for several hours.
- North Karachi and Surjani Town: It highlighted some densely populated areas that were greatly affected by road damage and raging floods. Individuals found it difficult to drive through the flooded roads and most of the car owners were compelled to leave their automobiles stuck in the flooded roads.
- Korangi and Landhi: Many areas of the industrial facilities were flooded with the rain. Industries such as factories and operations like warehouses were majorly affected since the structures were damaged and workers were unable to easily get to their places of work and back.
Conclusion
The recent spell of monsoon rains in Karachi has again brought out the major issues related to the city’s structure and governance. The catastrophes of last night, the flood in the city, the cracked streets, and the inefficiency of the administration prove that adequate urban development and proper management are needed. It becomes apparent that a significant and continuous attempt must be made to enhance the improvement of a city and prepare it for future disasters after observing its condition in this movie. The administration should embark and implement a program that focuses on maintenance of the structures, proper construction and management of drainage systems as well as effective implementation mechanisms for responding to the prevailing disasters to avoid occurrences like those experienced last night.
