THE recent rains in Karachi left thousands stranded on Sharea Faisal because the drains, already narrowed down by en-croachment, were clogged with trash. It happens every time there is a heavy spell of rain in the city, indicating there is a need to find a permanent solution. Malir River runs parallel to Sharea Faisal for several miles, and Shahrah-i-Bhutto created a huge no man’s land between the left river bank and the new road. How about creating an above-ground/overhead piping system for draining rainwater from these low-lying areas?

I have seen 36-inch diameter insulated steam line running in the middle of a main road in Gdansk, Poland. The road across its length had residential apartments on either side, which were connected with overhead steam lines from the main line.

We can consider doing something similar. There are many low-lying areas across Sharea Faisal, including Malir Halt station, Airport Road intersection, Natha Khan bridge, Karsaz Road intersection, Tipu Sultan Road intersection and the Nursery area.

We can install big diesel engine-driven stormwater pumps at these areas, and lay pipelines over the existing nullahs without damaging any road, streetlights, telephone cables, underground utilities or infrastructure.

Where nullahs are not present, we can construct an elevated pipeline over the existing roads running perpendicular to Sharea Faisal with six-metre ground clearance, which is the standard bridge clearance even accounting for railway bogeys.

These lines can be made in polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or fiberglass, which will avoid the need for painting and maintenance. Besides, these materials are of zero interest to drug addicts who are often blamed for steel and iron theft.

The piping destination should be the humongous area created between Shahrah-i-Bhutto and Malir River’s existing left bank from its starting point till Quaidabad. Millions of precious rainwater gallons can be collected there. This water can be filtered and supplied to the water-starved people of Karachi. The seepage of the water underground would help revive dry wells.

Is Karachi administrations or the Sindh government capable of doing this much?

S. Nayyar Iqbal Raza
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2025