KARACHI: An 11-year-old boy was feared to have drowned after he could not be recovered hours after being swept away while swimming in an open water line in Karachi’s Scheme-33 area on Friday.

East Deputy Commissioner (DC) Nasrullah Abbasi, who was supervising the rescue operation, told Dawn that the boy, Zahid Mohammed Khan, was swept away around 2pm while swimming in the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC)’s line.

He was not recovered until late evening while lifeguards from Rescue 1122 and Edhi Foundation continued searching for him, the DC said, adding that the delay in finding the boy could have been due to the heavy flow of water.

Rescue 1122 said in a statement that its two teams were searching for the boy at two spots.

The DC said KWSC officials had also visited the spot and had estimated that the boy may end up as far away as in Gulistan-i-Jauhar’s Block-1 near Continental Bakery, where an iron grill had been installed in the line. But that might take one to two days, he said, citing KWSC officials.

A camp had been installed near that spot for the boy’s recovery, the DC said. He added that rescue teams were also present at the camp.

DC Abbasi said he had directed the officials concerned to cover the water line to prevent such incidents in the future, adding that KWSC officials had informed him that they had placed slabs on the line previously as well, but they were probably removed by area residents or addicts.

Last year, the drowning of a three-year-old boy in an open manhole near Karachi’s NIPA had sparked public outrage. The boy’s body was found after a 15-hour rescue operation, and the episode highlighted systemic issues in Karachi.

A Dawn editorial published soon after the incident stated: “Sewer fall accidents are all too common in the metropolis. In 2023, some 68 people were reportedly lost to manholes. This year (2025), as per reports, gaping drains and sewers consumed 24 residents of which five were children … Despite a budget of millions for the maintenance of sewer safety, negligence on the part of the KWSC and other institutions has reportedly left 50pc of Karachi’s low-income areas with uncovered death holes.”