PMA expresses concern over the city’s situation due to the monsoon rains 

KARACHI: An emergent meeting of the office bearers and senior members of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Centre and PMA Karachi was called by Secretary-General, PMA Centre, Dr Qaisar Sajjad, at the PMA House in Karachi. The meeting discussed the severe impact of the monsoon rains in Karachi and its miseries to the people of the metropolitan.

Dr Ikram Ahmed Tunio, President, PMA Centre, chaired the meeting from Larkana through video link. It was attended by Dr Qaisar Sajjad, Dr Qazi Wasiq, Dr S Tipu Sultan, Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, Dr Hamid Manzoor, Dr Sharif Hashmani, Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, Dr Shaukat Malik, Dr Ismail Memon, Dr Sajjad Ahmed Siddiqui, and many other senior members.

The meeting expressed concern over the situation in the city due to the ongoing monsoon rains. The city and its people are facing urban flooding. People are dying of electrocution and drowning. More than two dozen people lost their lives in rain-related incidents. Roads are flooded with water, and traffic systems have collapsed. Rainwater has mixed with sewage from overflowing drains and managed to flood houses and damage property. People fell into manholes and died, abandoned vehicles were floating everywhere, people felt helpless, and nobody turned to help them.

The government and political parties are blaming each other. People have been gravely affected by urban flooding without any external aid. They could have been shifted to safe places like schools and college buildings, but nobody bothered to help the public.

Karachi has been facing multiple civic issues for many decades, such as load shedding, water shortage, pollution, etc.

There is a shortage of water in the city. People are being forced to drink polluted water mixed with sewage, resulting in waterborne diseases like typhoid, gastroenteritis, and cholera. This is also contributing to a rise in mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, and chikungunya.

Karachi's public transport sector is chaotic and messy, resulting in immense problems for the millions of commuters. Unfortunately, our government has no clue as to how to tackle this serious urban social issue.

Pakistan's largest metropolis has been facing severe traffic jams due to damaged roads and bridges caused by heavy vehicles' movement on its main arteries without any restrictions during the daytime.

The PMA demanded the government to resolve the issues of this megacity. Politicians have done nothing to improve the situation of Karachi. Only good governance and collective effort of all the stakeholders can resolve all these problems.

The PMA advised people to adopt the following preventive measures to avoid diseases during this rainy season, including drinking boiled water, making sure to cover all edibles, eating freshly cooked food, and washing your hands before every meal.

-MN Report