THE Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) recently ranked Karachi 169 out of 173 cities on its Global Liveability Index 2023, only above Lagos, Algiers, Tripoli and Damascus. The report came at a time when Pakistan is undergoing a protracted political and economic crisis.

Around 70 per cent of Karachi’s inhabitants are awfully poor. The city that used to be a tourist attraction and a showcase of cultural diversity has become one of the worst cities to live in. From water crisis to crumbling roads, from poor infrastructure to mismanaged traffic, and from rampant beggary to pathetic law and order situation, the city over the years has been dying bit by bit.

There is politics involved in garbage collection and disposal, and the city’s water supply mechanism is hostage to a mafia so powerful that nobody is able to do anything about it. The megacity is the largest contributor to the national tax pool, but the people of Karachi have been bearing all this injustice for a very long time. Is there anyone who can stop this unfortunate city from collapsing?

Tasneem Allibhoy Tharia
Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2023