Karachi Mayor accepts responsibility, apologises over child’s death in manhole

Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday expressed deep remorse over the tragic death of a minor boy, Ibrahim, saying the incident was “unbearable, shameful and extremely painful,” and announced a series of disciplinary actions across civic and administrative departments.

Addressing a press conference, Wahab said he could personally feel the grief of the bereaved family as a father.

“I had no words when I heard the cries of Ibrahim’s mother… We all have a responsibility to make this city safe. I, my team, and the entire city administration seek forgiveness,” he said.

The Mayor said he would not resort to “blame games” and instead accepted responsibility.

“As the Mayor, I could not succeed, and for that, I feel remorse. Matters do not improve by blaming one another but through correct decisions. I am not the Mayor of any political party; I am the Mayor of Karachi,” he added, terming political point-scoring at such a moment “morally wrong.”

Wahab said he visited the family residence and personally apologised to the child’s father, grandfather and other relatives.

He quoted the grandfather as saying the child “lived the life Allah had destined for him,” and hoped measures would be taken to prevent similar incidents in future.

Officials suspended after CM-led meeting

The Mayor said the Chief Minister convened a high-level meeting soon after the incident, leading to the suspension of several officials.

These include the relevant engineer of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), KMC’s Senior Director, the district Mukhtiarkar and Assistant Commissioner.

The suspension of SSP East and the concerned DSP has also been approved.

“This is only the beginning; more action will follow once the inquiry is completed. We aim to set an example so that such incidents never happen again,” Wahab said.

Rescue efforts hindered by crowd

The Mayor said that although the 1122 team and City Wardens reached the spot, the rescue operation was hampered by a large crowd that gathered around the open manhole.

“Some 12 to 14 people were standing around it, preventing machinery and rescue teams from working. Even the heavy equipment brought from near the Federal Urdu University could not be used effectively,” he said, stressing the need for SOPs to ensure unhindered rescue operations.

Missing manhole cover issue and theft problem

Wahab said Karachi has 245,000 manhole covers, of which 88,000 have been installed over the past year.

However, he noted that theft of heavy iron covers had increased as drug addicts sell them to scrap markets. He said police were fully aware of where such material is purchased and the Interior Minister had assured strict action.

“Even fibre covers are being stolen,” he added, saying coordinated efforts with police and other agencies were under way.

The Mayor said the 1334 helpline remained active for the past year, enabling citizens to report open manholes or other infrastructure hazards. He said he reviewed the record and found no prior complaint regarding the manhole involved in the incident.

Increased budget, call for public reporting

Wahab noted that the budget for Town Chairmen had been raised from Rs500,000 to Rs1.2 million a month, while KMC and towns collectively “have billions of rupees in resources.”

He urged citizens to immediately report any missing manhole covers to the authorities.

The Mayor said the city’s infrastructure will be strengthened and preventive measures taken to ensure no such tragedy takes place again.