As the monsoon season kicks in, Karachi residents look very apprehensive. The reason? Rains. Even though rains bring with it the promise of life and bloom of flowers, the residents of Karachi have a very different story to tell. The 2020 rains saw the city inundated, with traffic jams rampant, people were either stuck at work or at homes, as the streets and roads were hardly visible. The financial artery of Karachi looked like Venice, with water swooping in from all directions. Somethings are preventable but the wrath of nature can wipe the areas clean, one remembers hurricane Katrina in 2005 or Super Typhoon Huyan, both of which not only destroyed the infrastructure but claimed thousands of lives.
The main reason for the unprecendeted rainfall is the effects of Climate Change, with Pakistan being declared as the 5th most vulnerable country to face the dire consequenes of Climate Change. Karachi, which stands below sea level is a coastal belt which, bears the brunt of nature’s fury. In August of 2020, only in one day the amount of rainfall that the city experienced was 330 mm, which is 260 per cent increase in precipitation.
Initially an arid land, Karachi falls in the tropical climate zone, but usually has a drier weather compared to other tropical areas, but when it rains here, it pours. Victim of Climate Change and population explosion, the entire city’s drainage system is old, mostly clogged due to garbage disposal and the outfalls also face the same problem, and the residents suffer. According to Murtaza Wahab, the then Administrator of Karachi, in a statement given to New York Times, he categorically stated that the ‘city was not ready for such a heavy deluge as the sewerage system was very old’, given the severity of the situation, the government undertook the task of restoring some semblance of normalcy in a city submerged in water. Compared to the rest of the city, DHA fared a bit better, by no means does it mean that there was no water in and around low-lying areas. Areas like Nishat Commercial, Badar Commercial and Phase 2 were very badly affected, with rainwater flooding the areas. However, with the help of dewatering pumps, DHA managed to drain the water.
This is what led to the Storm Water Drain Project, which began in September of 2022, focusing on building and expanding the drainage system extensively. Most of the work is completed as of today, with dewatering pumps 58 in all, dealing with different cusecs of water are on standby, fire brigades are on high alert and ambulances and relief camps on standby. DHA Karachi stands prepared for the upcoming Monsoon, what little one could gather about the preparedness of DHA, could be seen o the unpredicted rainfall of March 1st, 2024, which showed that low lying areas were not affected as in 2022. Given that the task was huge and the Monsoon rains would give a clearer picture on how well the entire city deals with the deluge, one can only hope for the best for the entire city.
