KARACHI: Sinus, throat infection, seasonal fever and skin ailments are on the rise due to poor sanitation and presence of heaps of garbage in several parts of Karachi, health experts said. Filthy standing water and garbage dumps on roads are giving a breeding space to seasonal insects while digging work on roads due to development works in several parts of city has made the environment disagreeable and unpleasant. Areas in the city that lack healthy sanitation conditions include Saddar, old city areas, several blocks of North Nazimabad, Federal B Area, North Karachi, Buffer Zone, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauher and East residential and industrial zones of Karachi. A number of patients on daily basis are visiting hospitals and clinics with complains of general ailments like sinus, throat infection, fever, skin allergy only because of poor sanitary conditions of city, said Dr Ishrat Nisa, Head of Umer Khanum Clinic in Hussain D Silva Town Hills area. The underprivileged, mostly the children are prone to these aliments and despite several complaints lodged with respective civic bodies, removal of filth and repairing of sewerage lines have not been taken into consideration, Dr Nisa added. Dr Waqar Ahmad from Institute of Environmental Studies, Karachi University, said, “We have been suggesting respective government agencies time and again for taking appropriate measures in lessening the environmental health hazards, but there seems to be no visible change in this regard”. Environmental agencies and civic bodies should take care of these conditions to safeguard the general health of the people of city, he added. Six town administrations as well as Cantonment Board authorities have neither drained out the stagnant water from the affected roads and streets nor have lifted garbage from many parts of the city. Shopkeepers of the areas that are facing acute civic issues said that the unhealthy environmental situation in their areas persisting for the last many months was not only affecting their business, but also had become the source of mosquitoes and other insects. Residents of these areas are exposed to serious health hazards owing to the persisting unhygienic conditions, said Dr Shakeel Ahmad of Abbasi Shaeed Hospital said. The Sindh Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah has on several occasions pledged to clean the city within next few months, but no activity in this connection has started so far, regretted residents of these areas.