KARACHI: Waterlogged roads, choked gutters and overflowing sewerage and inundated low-lying areas during the ongoing monsoon season have not only exposed the dilapidated sewerage system in Karachi but also the tall claims of the provincial government about the rain emergency.
A giant sinkhole of around 6 to 8 feet in diameter developed on Ziauddin Ahmad Road, near the Sindh CM House as the sewerage line under the main artery caved in, compelling the authorities to block the track leading to Clifton.
According to a spokesperson for the traffic police, a dilapidated 88-inch diameter sewerage line caved in in front of the CM House due to the continuous rains.
The depth of the sinkhole is said to be around 15 to 20 feet. Barriers have been put up around the sinkhole to avoid any accidents.
This is not the first time that such a sinkhole has emerged at the Ziauddin Ahmed Road, as the problem continues from time to time because the sewerage line has not been replaced since the British left after the country's independence.
As a result, whenever the sewage line gets damaged at one point, the staff of the Water Sewerage Board repairs that part only. But afterwards, the same situation arises at another point and the cyclical problem continues.
On July 26, a sinkhole had emerged on a road near the Chief Minister's House in the civil lines area of Karachi after a 72-inch wide sewerage line running under the road burst due to increased water pressure.
The road where the sinkhole emerged on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road leads from PIDC Chowk to Clifton in the red zone of Karachi.