KARACHI: Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor has demanded from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to announce a mega package for overhauling Karachi’s drainage system, funding it on 50:50 basis.
While appreciating a special package for overhauling the drainage system for the rain-soaked Gujrat city of Punjab, Shakoor demanded a special package for improving the outdated drainage of megacity Karachi that was also drowned in the recent rains.
He said Karachi feeds whole Pakistan and the federal and provincial governments must allocate generous funds for a special drainage package for it.
He said citizens and traders of Karachi suffered huge losses during the recent rains but they are not compensated as yet.
He said different streets of Karachi still witness accumulated rainwater as the drainage system of the whole megacity is choked.
He said Karachi’s drainage system is in urgent need of a complete overhaul. The existing setup is a colonial-era framework that has not been expanded or modernized in proportion to the city’s rapid growth, informal settlements, and uncontrolled urbanization.
He said Karachi’s natural storm water drains (nullahs) were originally designed to handle runoff for a much smaller population. Today, the city has over 20 million residents, and the drains are choked with sewage, encroachments, and solid waste.
He said many storm water drains have been converted into combined drains carrying sewage, which worsens flooding during rains.
Shakoor said Katchi Abadis (Informal settlements) and even formal constructions have blocked or narrowed natural watercourses. Commercial plazas and housing schemes often ignore drainage planning, creating bottlenecks. There is an urgent need to relocate all the structures erected over natural waterways of the megacity.
He said the sewerage system and storm water drainage are not properly separated. In developed cities, storm drains are strictly for rainwater, but in Karachi, sewage often flows into them, clogging the flow and contaminating floodwater.
He said: Moreover, different agencies (KMC, KWSB, cantonments, DHA, etc.) manage different areas, so responsibility is fragmented.
PDP Chairman said with heavier and more erratic rains due to climate change, Karachi’s vulnerability to urban flooding has sharply increased. Roads, flyovers, and underpasses often lack proper slope and drainage planning, turning them into ponds during rain.
He said Karachi urgently needs restoration of its natural waterways: Clearing, widening, and protecting Karachi’s nullahs and storm water channels. He said separation of sewage and rainwater systems is a must. Modern sewerage infrastructure for the megacity is essential.
Altaf Shakoor demanded an integrated urban planning for Karachi. He suggested that a single authority should oversee drainage, instead of multiple overlapping agencies.
He said more parks, open spaces, and permeable pavements to allow rainwater absorption instead of runoff. He asked for a proper solid waste management to prevent garbage dumping in drains.
He also called for local awareness and cooperation to avoid re-encroachments and misuse.
He said Karachi doesn’t just need cleaning drives after every flood—it needs a structural redesign of its drainage system with long-term investment, urban planning discipline, and political will.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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