Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor has said that millions of residents in the mega-city’s informal settlements are facing a severe crisis of acute water shortages, mounting garbage heaps, and overflowing gutters, which has turned daily life into a struggle for survival due to the systemic negligence of the concerned authorities.
He said on Sunday that a grim reality has emerged for a sprawling metropolis of over 20 million where the city works for some but has failed millions, a failure most starkly visible in its low-income settlements where basic municipal services have been replaced by a daily battle for necessities.
Access to clean drinking water in these katchi abadis and goths is not only erratic but also extremely expensive. Shakoor noted that according to residents, piped water supply is a rare event, while in many areas the infrastructure exists only on paper, rendered defunct by decades of neglect, leakages, and illegal connections, creating the paradox of a thirsty population in a coastal city.
He said this vacuum is being exploited by a “tanker mafia” that operates with little oversight. Water, a fundamental human right, has been transformed into a costly commodity, forcing families to make impossible choices between food, medicine, and water.
Parallel to the thirst crisis is a sanitation emergency. The garbage collection system in these neighborhoods is described as highly deficient or completely non-existent, turning entire streets into open dumps where rotting waste creates a toxic environment for diseases.
Shakoor explained that this problem is compounded by structural flaws, stating that the government’s outsourcing of solid waste management to private contractors has failed to deliver on its promise of efficiency in large parts of the city. Despite heavy public expenditure, residents say collection services are sporadic at best, raising questions of accountability.
The breakdown in waste management directly impacts the dilapidated drainage system. Clogged drains and overflowing sewage are a common sight, causing immediate waterlogging even during light rains. He said streets often become pools of contaminated water that seeps into homes, leading to the predictable seasonal spread of dengue and gastrointestinal diseases.
He noted that what makes this hardship more severe is its normalization, which forces residents to devise their own solutions in the face of state failure, such as clearing garbage themselves or digging makeshift drainage channels. However, he clarified that this resilience should not be mistaken for acceptance.
Altaf Shakoor highlighted the political dimension of this neglect, stressing that Karachi’s major political parties – the Pakistan Peoples Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf – have historically sought votes from these densely populated areas but have not delivered the promised improvements in basic amenities.
He pointed to a clear imbalance in service delivery, where government attention remains focused on affluent areas and major thoroughfares, while the inner lanes of low-income areas remain out of sight and neglected. This discriminatory governance, he warned, suggests that some citizens are valued more than others.
He argued that the issue is not merely a lack of funds but a deeper crisis of governance. Conflicting institutional mandates, poor coordination, and a lack of accountability have fostered a system where responsibility is diffused and outcomes are poor.
The human impact of this inattention is profound, with women and children bearing the brunt of the burden, from fetching water to living in unhygienic environments that endanger their health, limit their opportunities, and undermine their dignity.
He emphasized that these settlements are not peripheral; they are the hubs of the workforce that runs the city. Ignoring their plight is not only unjust but also economically and socially detrimental to Karachi’s long-term stability and growth.
Shakoor suggested that the solution requires substantial investment in water infrastructure, an effective and accountable garbage collection system, and a complete overhaul of the drainage network. Above all, it demands a fundamental shift in priorities towards inclusive governance over cosmetic measures.
He concluded that until such a change occurs, the crisis will persist, and with each passing day, the gap between Karachi’s promise and its reality will widen, measured not in statistics but in the lives of those left behind.