Daily Times

Since last week the port city has been facing overwhelming monsoon deluge. During the last two days, torrential rains wreaked havoc in metropolis, causing various small and large dams, Nullahs to burst and water to flood the populated areas which caused a complete breakdown of urban life.

The blame game that being witnessed for the last few days between the Sindh provincial government and other political parties which doesn’t mean anything for Karachiities because all of them know that its only point scoring and nothing.

Pakistan People’s Party-led Sindh government, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan led Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led federal government keep playing blame-game over the current situation after heavy rain in metropolis.

PPP govt say that the KMC is responsible for 41 major storm water drains while 500 minor drains fall under the purview of the six district municipal corporations in the city and the areas are badly affected owing to encroachments.

While MQM-P leaders keep lamenting the lack of funds and Mayor’s limited powers and the Sindh government’s non-cooperation. In his last presser Mayor Waseem Akhtar had lashed out the Sindh govt as well.

On one hand Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Karachi based leaders have been posting pictures of affected areas to propagate the failure of Sindh govt.

While on other hand PPP- leaders and followers are posting images of selected main roads, including Shahrah-e-Faisal and others area lauding the Sindh government for clearing it from rainwater within a few hours.

Karachiities said that PPP provincial lawmakers were trying to misrepresent the condition of the city as several low-lying densely populated residential areas in the metropolis were actually submerged in rainwater.

People on social media also lashed out the relevant authorities for failing to tackle the situation.

Social activist Shaniera Akram tweeted a clip of the streets flooded with water. Alongside the clip she wrote, “Electrocution, drowning, irreversible damage to property, poisoning, cross-contamination, hepatitis, dysentery, typhoid, risk of the polio outbreak, not to mention the diseases associated with mosquito infestation like dengue and malaria! How is Karachi not in a state of emergency?”

Writer and activist, Fatima Bhutto who is granddaughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto also expressed disappointment over the Sindh government’s inability to tackle the situation on a repeated occasions. ” If monsoons happen every single year at the SAME time, what possible excuse can the government have for never being prepared?”

Sana Rasheed on social media wrote that PPP & MQM are totally responsible for this worst condition since they have been ruling over 3 decades shame on PPP, no any system, no roads, no drain for rain water sewerage water is getting entered into the houses.

Karachiites said that like every monsoon, usually fast-paced city came to halt. Its roads and streets turned into rivers and underpasses into canals, while houses in many neighborhoods were flooded.

The Karachiities are helpless, equally disappointed and angered by what they termed the Sindh and local government’s incompetence and poor performance, ascribed the flooding to authorities not cleaning drains on time, despite claims of doing so.

People said that PTI’s leader only come to make video clips and selfies as they don’t have any authority in Karachi and they are good for nothing adding that PTI Karachi leadership only busy in doing pressers against Sindh govt because they have not got any work.

Karachi has already burst at the seams, and is now terribly misshapen from 6th July 2020 at least thirty people were killed in different incidents as the Met Office confirmed that the 90-year record of the monsoon downpour had been broken after Tuesday’s rainfall in Karachi this year.

A 345mm downpour was recorded at Karachi’s PAF Faisal Base in August this year, making it the wettest month since 1931, which was previously recorded rainfall up to 298.4mm in 1984.

Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah has been very active on Wednesday visited different rain-hit areas in Karachi and directed to speed up water drainage system. During the visit, the CM has ordered the Karachi commissioner to help those stranded in their houses and provide them with food and other things.

While talking to meida he said “Won’t leave the people alone in this time of need”, he pledged. After this CM departed to visit rain-hit areas of interior Sindh.

Regarding CM visit to interior Sindh PTI leader Khurram Sheer Zaman said that by wearing raincoats and long boots, departed to save Sindh adding that ” Where the Sindh govt’ focal person have vanished?”, he asked

Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that the people should not feel helpless as Sindh Government is on ground to solve their problems.

As per details on the special instructions of Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah visited Malir and adjoining affected areas.

Overall Karachiites are helpless and disappointed from the all political parties although expressed good reaction regarding Army Relief and rescue operations in various parts of Karachi after heavy rains lashed the port city.