IN Karachi, the sad truth is that decades of haphazard growth and flouting of civic codes have created death traps across this vast, unwieldy city. Saturday’s blast in the Shershah area has once again illustrated this painful reality. At the time of writing, 17 people had been confirmed dead in the tragedy.

While investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the explosion under the building built atop a sewerage drain, the bomb disposal squad has said leakage of sewer gases may have been responsible for the blast. The tragic fact is that in Karachi, it doesn’t need an act of terrorism to cause mass casualties; decades of civic neglect and official apathy have created a disfigured city where hazards are always lurking around the corner. The deadly results of this negligence manifest themselves often enough.

Read more: What next? Karachi waits with bated breath

Buildings erected on drains, encroachments blocking the natural flow of rainwater and structures built without regard to safety features or fire hazards result in frequent tragedies in the metropolis, with the authorities promising to get tough after every incident, but in reality doing little to change the situation on the ground.

The fact is that ‘fixing’ Karachi is a gargantuan task, as the city has been left to its own devices by successive federal and provincial governments. Structures built on drains or posing other safety hazards are in their hundreds, if not thousands.

A few months ago, a portion of the KMC’s Jubilee Market caved in, while there have been a number of deadly building collapses in the recent past. So the million-dollar question is: where does one begin to address decades of civic neglect in the metropolis? Perhaps there needs to be a thorough survey involving independent experts along with officials conducted to spot major hazards in the city, such as dangerous buildings or structures built on drains and other infrastructural hazards.

Thereafter, a rational plan needs to be followed whereby structures which pose a threat to human lives are brought down. In the long run, an elected, honest and professional civic administration is needed in the megacity that brooks no corruption, and puts the emphasis on safety and enforcement of civic codes. And while the Sindh government has passed an ordinance to regularise buildings, such legal instruments should in no way be allowed to green-light dangerous construction so that tragedies such as the Shershah episode are not repeated.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2021