KARACHI: Last year heavy rains played havoc with Khayaban-i-Iqbal, the main Clifton road, and the rainwater could not be drained for several days.
The KPT underpass too became a subject of jokes, and the pictures of what was described as the longest swimming pool in Karachi were not just published in the newspapers but also posted on the internet.
This rainy season, much to everyone’s pleasant surprise, the rainwater just did not collect on the entire stretch — from the Clifton Bridge to Do Talwar. The ‘gentle’ speed-breakers at the two ends of the underpass didn’t let the rainwater, falling on the road, enter the underground passage and, what is more, the pumps worked efficiently.
When work was being done by the city government on the drainage system for the better part of the year, they forgot to put the “Sorry for the inconvenience” sign but the fact remained that they did a fine job. Inconvenient it certainly was, for one had to hop, skip and jump over the drains on both sides of the road that were being built. Car parking had become a problem and the road became narrower. But, now looking back, one feels it was worth facing the inconvenience.
The other perennial problem spot was the portion of Chaudhry Khaleequzzaman Road that passes from what used to be called the Submarine Chowk to the traffic signal on its intersection with the Chartered Accountants Avenue. Throughout the three days of rain the road didn’t have even puddles of water.
The city government has been often criticised for its inability to solve civic problems, and often rightly so. On this occasion, however, one ought to pay the devil his due, with a reminder that there are stretches of road in many parts of the city which deserve similar treatment.
