KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the provincial and local administrations as well as the cantonment boards on a petition seeking an inquiry into the collapse of infrastructure of the metropolis due to torrential rains and compensation for affected people.

The two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar also put the deputy attorney general and additional advocate general on notice with all other respondents by Sept 9.

The petitioners contended that the unplanned growth of the city and large-scale encroachments, particularly on drains, poorly designed roads and drainage system had caused flooding and unprecedented damage in the city.

They further argued that the main entrances of three major hospitals were flooded, the main thoroughfares had become pools of water and various emergency telephone numbers were out of order during the rains.

The petitioners submitted that with rapid urbanisation and deforestation, the city’s increasing concrete spaces did not allow rainwater to be naturally absorbed in the soil and climate change would only exacerbate these problems in coming years.

Impleading the provincial chief secretary, principal secretaries to chief minister and governor, secretaries of local bodies and rehabilitation, metropolitan commissioner, chief executive officers of all the cantonment boards of the city, K-Electric and others as respondents, they maintained that the flooding had exposed the grave shortcomings in planning, development and management of the city.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2020