KARACHI: Hapless citizens of the megacity, Karachi, suffer silently as the corrupt administration and its negligent private contractors have failed to effectively collect solid waste, leaving almost 40 percent of it to rot in streets causing diseases and distress, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor here Sunday.
He said not only billions of rupees from the taxpayers’ money are wasted on inefficient garbage collection systems, but the citizens also have to spend a considerable portion of their income for treatment of vector borne diseases arising from the rotting garbage.
He said Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, is drowning in its own waste. With a population exceeding 20 million, the metropolis generates more than 12,000 tons of solid waste daily. Yet nearly 40 percent of this garbage remains uncollected, left to rot in open plots, streets, and storm-water drains. The result is a megacity struggling with disease outbreaks, polluted water, and urban decay.
Altaf Shakoor said the citizens bear the brunt of this negligence on part of a government that claims to be the elected government of the people. Uncollected trash has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents, fuelling epidemics of typhoid, dengue, malaria, and gastrointestinal illnesses.
Toxic runoff contaminates groundwater, while plastic and other debris choke Karachi’s coastline, threatening marine life and livelihoods. The clogged drainage system worsens monsoon flooding, damaging homes and businesses and adding to the financial burden of residents.
He said the cost of poor waste management is staggering; rising healthcare expenses, lost productivity due to illness, and property damage from urban flooding drain millions from the megacity’s economy each year. At the same time, Karachi misses out on opportunities to recycle waste and generate energy, turning potential revenue into mounting losses.
PDP Chairman said despite billions of rupees being spent from taxpayers’ money, Karachi’s solid waste management system stands exposed as a failure. The staggering allocations, including international project funding, have not translated into cleaner streets or healthier citizens. Instead, heaps of garbage still roots in drains and open plots, fuelling disease, flooding, and pollution. This mismatch between massive spending and miserable outcomes underscores not just inefficiency but a criminal negligence, leaving Karachiites to suffer daily while their money disappears into a system that delivers little more than decay. Billions have been burned, but the megacity still stinks.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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