In response to the increasing number of incidents involving open sewer manholes, broken covers, and faulty streetlights, Karachi’s municipal administration has taken action.
Mayor Murtaza Wahab announced that each union committee in the city will now receive an additional 100,000 rupees per month specifically for the repair and maintenance of manholes and streetlights.
Under the new local government system, each union committee was already receiving 500,000 rupees per month to address basic neighborhood issues. While some committees used these funds appropriately, complaints were received from various areas that the amount was insufficient or diverted to salaries.
Mayor Wahab stated that due to the rise in public safety concerns, the matter was presented to provincial leadership. As a result, the Sindh government increased the union committee share to 1.2 million rupees, but the expected improvements were not fully achieved.
Following a tragic incident near the NIPA Flyover, in which a five-year-old boy named Ibrahim fell into a manhole and died, it was decided that an additional 100,000 rupees per month would be allocated to each union committee specifically for manhole covers and streetlight repairs.
The mayor said the funds would be released starting December and would be strictly used for this purpose to provide a prompt and effective solution to dangerous civic issues.
The incident on the night of 30 November involved Ibrahim falling into an open sewer near the NIPA Flyover. His body was recovered 14 hours later, highlighting severe flaws in the city’s outdated drainage system and ineffective municipal management.
