A suction pump is being employed by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to remove the contents of a choked gutter near the Teen Talwar roundabout so that they could be released into a storm-water drain, which was built with the express purpose of draining out rainwater some time back.

The eastern section of the Clifton storm-water drain – built with the help of Chinese experts under the Tameer-i-Karachi programme – drains rainwater into the so-called Nehr-i-Khayyam and the western section of the sewerage system releases rainwater into Frere nullah. Bath Island’s storm-water drain disposes of rainwater into the Chinna creek, near Hijrat Colony.

Experts believe that if the KWSB takes the easy option of releasing sewage into purpose-built storm-water drains, it would not only leave the sewers choked but would also spoil the storm-water drains.—Text by Azizullah Sharif and photo by Fahim Siddiqi / White Star