KARACHI: Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor has said that poor garbage disposal in Karachi, especially after ongoing monsoon rains, has spread diseases in the megacity, agonizing citizens.

This he said in a statement. The PDP chief said that a large number of citizens are visiting hospitals and clinics with complaints of vomiting, diarrhea, fever and other ailments. He said a large number of patients are children affected due to contaminated water. He said streets are filthy all over the megacity, especially in slum areas, due to non-lifting of garbage. He said huge outbreak of malaria, dengue and typhoid is looming large over the megacity due to gutter mixed rainwater accumulated in different streets and neighborhoods.

Mr Shakoor said that the garbage lifting system was outsourced in the megacity but the contractor companies are not properly fulfilling their responsibilities and the provincial government has turned its blind eye to this scam. He said poor masses are suffering due to bad governance in garbage lifting sector. He said it costs thousands of rupees for treatment of patients and majority of the poor families could hardly afford these expenses. He said the poor people of Karachi are paying a high price of government failure to ensure proper garbage lifting in the megacity.

Mr Shakoor said the overcrowded government hospitals lack medicines and manpower to cater increased load of patients after large scale contamination of water in the megacity due to the grim post-rains scenario. He said the Sindh health minister and local government minister, as well as, Karachi administrator need to wake up from their deep slumber and ensure proper garbage lifting, opening of choked gutter lines and dewatering of accumulated rainwater from streets. He said Karachi needs a municipal emergency to cope with the situation.

He demanded immediate removal of all illegal structures and slums from the banks of Nullahs. He asked to raze buildings, markets and other structures built over the Nullahs in old town areas of district South in particular and in whole megacity in general. He said without a massive investment in garbage disposal and drainage systems the megacity would continue to suffer in every rainy season.

He demanded to create new garbage disposal landfill sites in the megacity to ensure lifting and disposal of maximum garbage and solid waste from Karachi. He asked to save natural rainwater rivers like Lyari and Malir rivers from being used as drainage Nullahs. He said urban forests should be developed along the Lyari and Malir rivers on fast-track basis to give the megacity a better tree cover.