KARACHI: After days of rain-inflicted civic chaos, experts are warning that ‘ungovernable’ Karachi is now racing towards a public health crisis, with fears of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and typhoid spreading fast across the megacity.
They said the mixing of sewage with potable water in the aftermath of the recent monsoon rainfall has created an alarming risk for residents.
The warning came at a seminar titled “Should Karachi drown after every heavy rainfall?”, organised by the Karachi Citizens’ Forum (KCF) at the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) House on Monday. Doctors, urban planners, activists, journalists, and legal experts described the megacity as ‘ungovernable’ and trapped in a cycle of decay that cannot be restructured without drastic reforms.
Dr Ghafoor Shoro, Secretary General of the PMA, said that a lack of political will has allowed preventable diseases to resurface repeatedly, not just in Karachi but across the country. “People have died of diarrhoea in this city — an ailment that is completely preventable. Though medicines are costly, such patients can still be treated if the system worked properly,” he said. He warned that diarrhoea and typhoid could soon spread widely if immediate measures were not taken.
Dr Shoro also highlighted the psychological impact of rain-related ordeals, such as people stranded in vehicles sinking in flooded roads. He described these as “rain-triggered trauma” that could later prove fatal for mental and brain health.
Senior journalist and political analyst Mazhar Abbas, reflecting on four decades of Karachi’s growth and destruction, called the metropolis both ‘ungovernable’ and ‘chaotic’ under what he described as a corrupt bureaucracy. “In the face of incompetent engineers and a highly corrupt bureaucracy, there is no solution to the city’s problems,” he told the seminar. He said successive governments had never shown the political will to implement a master plan. “Karachi should be declared a metropolitan city,” he stressed.
Urban planner and researcher Muhammad Tauheed blamed poor engineering for much of the civic deterioration, noting that major uplift projects had damaged underground water and sanitation lines. “Water logging from sewerage and rain on roadsides is now common,” he said. He added that rivers like Lyari, Malir, and Korangi had become dumping grounds for solid waste. He criticized the civic administration for officially declaring them as “Nullahs,” a move he said poisoned the city’s water resources and environment.
Tauheed rejected World Bank estimates that Karachi could withstand 100mm of rainfall, saying the existing sewerage system collapses after just 40mm. Proposing solutions, he called for underground tanks, boring, and wells to reduce water logging and provide up to 70 percent of the city’s water needs. However, he said political will was essential before such measures could be put in place.
Former Sindh High Court judge, Justice Shaiq Usmani called for a supra-environmental body to oversee Karachi’s civic issues, with representation from K-Electric, Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), and others. He also proposed that the judiciary establish a bench dedicated to hearing civic complaints.
Justice Usmani noted that Karachi’s decline began after the country’s capital was shifted to Islamabad, leaving the provincial administration unable to manage the city. “The lack of coordination among administrative bodies blocks resolution of civic issues. Politicization and poor administration have worsened matters. The public itself must stand up for the city’s development,” he said.
Council Member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Mahnaz Rehman also drew attention to the mental and social trauma caused by rain disasters. She mentioned electrocution cases involving children, and workers stranded without transport during downpours, saying these ordeals had become a constant source of stress for families.
The seminar was introduced by KCF Convenor Nargis Rahman and co-convenor Dr Qaiser Sajjad, who both outlined the civic and health challenges Karachi faces.
In its statement, the KCF said Karachi drowns every year whether the rain is light, heavy, or very heavy — with devastating consequences for lives, property, and livelihoods. It said flooded roads, traffic jams, school closures, and elderly and sick residents stranded in vehicles had become routine, while official help was absent.
“The aftermath lingers for five days, leaving neighbourhoods stinking, sewage-mixed floodwaters still standing, and pothole-ridden roads making life miserable,” the statement read. “Diseases are the natural aftermath as rusted pipelines, contaminated boring wells, pools of dirty water, and rotting garbage become breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes. Citizens are furious, and this fire-fighting management — which is really a management fiasco — must stop.”
The forum criticized political leaders for donning raincoats and supervising clean-up operations during downpours instead of performing their administrative roles before disasters. “Karachi, the world’s 12th largest city, has carried the shame of being ranked among the five most unlivable cities for two decades,” it noted.
KCF warned that despite annual weather warnings from the Met Office and NDMA, Karachi remained unprepared. This year’s monsoon forecast was also ignored, causing another cycle of losses and public anger. It said Karachi’s economy alone suffered a loss of Rs15 billion over just five days of rain.
The forum blamed unchecked population growth, un-repaired infrastructure, and fragmented governance for the mess, comparing Karachi unfavourably with Mumbai, which manages floods despite similar challenges. It demanded that both the federal and provincial governments assume responsibility to ensure Karachi is governed properly.
It criticised wasteful spending on underpasses and recreation projects while sanitation, water treatment plants, and public transport remain neglected. It demanded a new apex civic authority comprising qualified planners, consultants, and stakeholders to ensure accountability, transparency, and cohesion across land-owning agencies.
The forum further urged: accelerating mass transit projects, repairing antiquated sewerage and water treatment systems, enforcing eco-friendly industrial practices, penalizing negligent officials and encroachers, digitizing civic records, and establishing a long-term city plan to control migration and future growth.
“The citizens of Karachi are punished every year despite the city being the golden goose that funds the national and provincial exchequers. It is shocking that it continues to be devastated in this fashion,” the KCF concluded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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