DENGUE ALARM: Dengue cases have been rising in Peshawar, but the relevant government authorities are not doing much in this regard. The treatment of patients in many hospitals, including the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) in the provincial capital, is way less than being satisfactory. The KTH has only a few beds in its main emergency ward, and each of these beds remains occupied by two to three patients at a time. The provincial government should adopt a comprehensive approach to fighting the disease. It should urgently enhance medical facilities in hospitals, increase capacity, and initiate fumigation drives.

Yousaf Sultan
Peshawar

THE NEGLECTED POLO GROUND: Despite its potential as a valuable recreational space, the Polo Ground in Karachi has been neglected for long. The ground is littered with trash, broken glass bottles and overgrown vegetation, posing a serious risk to the safety of children and families who visit the park. It is disheartening to see such a vital public space left in a state of utter disrepair. The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) must prioritise cleaning and maintenance of the Polo Ground. Regular trash collection, removal of broken glass bottles, and proper landscaping should be ensured. Additionally, measures should be taken to prevent littering and vandalism.

Fazeela Muhammad Afzal Khan
Karachi

FREQUENT POWER OUTAGES: Life in Karachi’s Orangi Town area is being negatively and seriously affected by frequent loadshedding. Businesses and educational activities are disrupted by the outages that last up to 8-10 hours every single day. The outages cause a 25 per cent decrease in productivity. A report recently claimed that power theft is responsible for about 40pc of the area’s energy losses. The primary goal should be to eradicate the unlawful electricity theft in order to decrease unscheduled power outages. Nothing is being done in that direction. Why?

Mehar Khan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2024