THE post-monsoon Karachi is a nightmare the people have to suffer every day. This has been so for the last couple of months. It was not even a full-scale monsoon this year, but the sporadic showers the city received were enough to wash away most roads. It is difficult to find a one-kilometre stretch of road without potholes and standing water. In Baldia Town, the road connecting Gulshan-i-Mazdoor to Dawood Goth does not exist anymore. All that is there today is a dirt track that is more of a mud track owing to various pools of stagnant water, as can be seen in the accompanying image.

Those condemned to take this route for their daily commute keep wondering whatever happened to the ‘Clean Baldia, Green Baldia’ initiative that the Town Municipality had launched with fanfare.

Somebody somewhere in the city needs to wake up and do something about the mess that Karachi roads have been.

Ayaz Khan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2024