Every year in Karachi, the monsoon rain seems to be more of a menace than a blessing. People welcome it with open arms but then it leaves them with a lot of problems. The rain clears all the dust, bacteria and pollution from the atmosphere and makes the weather pleasant. However, a lot of devastation is seen as well. Roads and streets become water channels. Road networks are destroyed and you always get to hear about traffic jams. Houses are destroyed due to the flooding. Moreover, communication networks are greatly affected as the signal boosters and other equipment gets damaged. And on top of it, the public has to face a further cut down in the supply of electricity. Furthermore, we get to see many cases of electrocution. All these issues continue to affect us for a long time after the season.
The above mentioned problems are due to our poor preparation for the rain. There should be proper drainage alongside roads and streets to avoid inundation which greatly affects traffic flow. With this the rain will serve the purpose of cleaning the roads and streets. The government has taken this step in many areas due to which this problem has reduced but this has to be done all over the city.
Roads should be strengthened and streets should be paved so that the surface does not get muddy. Adding to this, the katchchi abadis should be replaced by planned towns with proper houses and drainage systems because houses in these areas are poorly constructed. Moreover, there should be a system to collect rain water like water from drains collected to tanks and that be channelised to areas where it is required in order to overcome the existing water shortage issues.
Furthermore, measures should be taken by the city government to repair the electrical wire networks. In many parts of the city, there are wires on the ground which still contain high current. When in contact with rain water, they can cause electrocution which results in many deaths. If these issues are considered and resolved, we can enjoy the rain next year much more without hearing any sad news of deaths and damage to the lives and property of the people of Karachi.
MAHVISH KHAN
Karachi
