Daily Times

KARACHI: Communicable diseases are on the rise due to overflowing gutters and pathetic sanitary conditions in parts of rural Karachi, including Sachal Goth. Dengue, malaria, typhoid and other diseases are on the rise amongst the residents of this thickly populated locality. Due to the faulty drainage system, citizens have dug up and got replaced many gutter lines on self-help basis and these broken streets and roads hinder smooth flow of traffic. Overflowing gutters could be found in almost every street of the locality while pile of uncollected garbage could also be seen at different points. Sanitary workers and sweepers rarely visit Sachal Goth and there services are limited to the streets where the houses of ruling party leaders are situated. Law and order situation is also worrisome as cases of mugging and other crimes are frequently reported. Police patrolling in the locality needs to be improved, demand citizens, adding heaps of garbage and dirt should be collected from roads and streets, especially the garbage dumps outside the government schools of Sachal Goths should be removed on priority. Public transport is a very serious issue of the locality, as only one minibus of G-7 route is seen in the area which is not sufficient to cater commuting needs of hundreds of thousands people. New routes of wide-bodied buses for this area or extension of some existing bus routes here has become overdue. They asked to open the chocked drains on priority besides ensuring regular sweeping of all streets and roads. They demanded a fumigation drive and setting up of special medical camps in the locality on urgent basis.

Published in Daily Times, January 15^th 2018.