Health experts have warned of the onset of the serious infectious diseases especially dengue, hepatitis A and E and gastro-enteritis if the stagnant rainwater from the streets and road were not flushed out within next few days.
Health experts expressed fear of outbreak of seasonal viral infectious and other diseases due to accumulate rainwater on roads and streets in the small areas of the city, which has now turned into pools.
They further said that flies have emerged as a threat could contaminate the edibles and prompt action by the civic authorities was needed to eliminate them at the earliest.
"Stagnant rainwater was mixed up with the sewage water which is still floating on roads and street particularly in the Katchi Abadis, could result in an outbreak of deadly diseases besides skin related" Dr Qaiser Sajjad of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) said.
Calling upon public and responsible authorities to make efforts jointly to flush out the stagnant rainwater at the earliest, he said that it may give a breeding opportunity to mosquitoes particularly those could bring about the dengue fever, etc.
He said people should avoid eating out particularly at un-cleaned restaurants, adding that boiled water would help protect them from viral disease during the rains. Meanwhile, the meteorological department has forecast more rains in the metropolis for the next 24 hours. Met office officials told Business Recorder that it may rain with thunderstorm in many areas of the Sindh province including lower Sindh, coastal areas of Badin, Mirpurkhas and Karachi.
Despite, such rain forecast, the civic authorities have seemed the least concerned to flush out the stagnant rainwater particularly in slums which constitute the largest part of this metropolitan city.
Sizeable potholes have started emerging in the wake of recent rains damaged the road surfaces and are now bringing about serious problems for the two and four-wheel vehicles.
In addition, the stagnant rainwater is still floating on roads and streets in various parts of the city, making the atmosphere unpleasant with stink besides becoming a primary source for the breeding of mosquitoes and other insects.
The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) officials ruled out any threat in the wake of heavy monsoon rains to hub dam administrated by it, saying that water in it was just below the height of 339 feet. They said that since the pre-monsoon rains and onwards, water in dam reached at the level of 330 feet, adding that situation at the dam was under complete control and there was no such sign that dam could get damaged by rains.
"Dam is filled up with about 330 feet water which is sufficient for next one and a half year for Karachi and Lasbela, as earlier its height had declined to the level of 311.6 feet," Resident Engineer Hub Dam, Inamullah Khan said.
He said that people belong to residential and commercial areas adjacent to Hub Dam had been informed in advance of rains in order to take safe shelter and avoid commercial losses in case water flow hit them. He said that dam had the capacity to sustain about 0.5 million cusecs water, adding that spillway would scale down the increasing water height of the dam, which was 6020 feet long.