KARACHI, Aug 18: The stinking stagnant rainwater in Defence and Clifton continued to cause miseries to tens of thousands of people in the two salubrious neighbourhoods, with most of the roads and streets remaining submerged with water.

The Gulshan-i-Faisal in Bath Island was again the worst-hit where knee-deep to waist-deep filthy water wreaked havoc on roads and streets, forcing the residents to remain indoors without potable water as rainwater streamed into their underground water reservoirs.

Dr Shahab Osto, a resident, said the entire locality was flooded by rainwater which instead of receding continued to increase with the passage of time on Friday though the city did not receive a single drop of rain. Nehr-i-Khiyam is blocked and the rainwater is being redirected to our area, he said.

The first spell of monsoon showers had inundated Gulshan-i-Faisal, which is under the control of the City District Government Karachi, and it took civic agencies 12 days to drain out the stagnant water.

“Apparently, we will have to wait for two weeks”, the doctor added.

“We are left with little drinking water and we don’t know where this situation would take us because authorities are doing nothing”, he said.

Dr Agha Hameed, another resident, their locality had been cut off from rest of the city. “No vehicle can go out or come in the vicinity due to waist-deep water”, he added.

He urged the authorities to supply drinking water to the trapped residents as all shops and general stores nearby are closed.

He deplored that the authorities were turning a deaf ear to their frantic calls for rescue.

Roads and streets in other parts of Clifon, under the control of Clifton Cantonment Board, remained flooded as the civic agency apparently did nothing to drain out rainwater.

Ms Durdana Sial, a resident of Clifton’s Block-7, told Dawn by phone that her locality had been submerged in waist-deep water.

“I have moved to my parents’ home as level of water is increasing”, she said.

The woman alleged that water being pumped out from the Clifton underpass was being redirected to her locality which had turned into a lake.

“We lodged several complaints with the Clifton Cantonment Board, but to no avail.”

We are now disillusioned and we don’t expect anything from them as they are useless”, she deplored.

“We are just praying and waiting for some miracle to happen here”, she added.

The roads and streets in the adjoining Block-8 also remained flooded with stinky stagnant rainwater. One of the carriages of the Shahrah-i-Iqbal, better known as Clifton Road, remained submerged, suspending traffic on it.

Similarly, one of the carriages of Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman Road remained inundated with knee-deep water as the authorities did not make any effort to clear the road.

Several roads, streets and lanes remained submerged in parts of Defence Housing Authority, and there was no major civic operation in sight during the day.

In Phase 5 of the DHA, the 27th Street remained flooded and it caused problems in traffic flow. Rainwater also remained stagnant near McDonald restaurant and D-Mart in Phase 5 Extension.

A vast area near Circular Avenue in Phase 2 of the DHA gave the look of a lake.

A number of cars were struck in Streets Nos 16, 17 and 18 in Phase 1, DHA. The 4th Street in phase 4, DHA was also submerged causing a great deal of hardship to motorists and pedestrians.

Residents of Phase 5, DHA said the rainwater streamed into their underground water tanks. The street No. 6 was inundated with ankle-deep water. The portions of Khiyaban-i-Tanzeem and Tauheed Commercial were also submerged, while the road in front of Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine also remained flooded.

Fareen Shirazi, a resident of DHA phase 5 Extension, told dawn that the Street 28 was submerged in knee-deep water. “In the morning, a garbage truck came to the area and disposed of a heap of filth and garbage on the street which is now stinking”, she said.