KARACHI, Aug 11: The entire civic system in Baghdadi and Shah Beg Lane union council areas in Lyari Town collapsed as a result of torrential rain. Rainwater and sewage virtually submerged link roads and streets creating stinking conditions and making the life of citizens miserable. The rain that continued for two to three days played havoc with the narrow lanes of Baghdadi, Shah Beg and Daryabad lanes. Though the heavy downpour affected the entire civic system in the town, the localities that come along the Shah Latif Bhittai Road and its link roads like Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road, Slaughter House Road, Mir Mohammad Baloch Road, Fidha Husain Sheika Road and D.D. Chaudhari Road and Mir Mohammad Baloch were the worst-hit.

A resident of Baghdadi said that sewerage system in the locality had gone obsolete. With the first spell of current monsoon, the sewerage system broke down and rainwater mixed with sewage started flooding the streets and drained into houses and shops.

“We are unable to flush out rainwater from our house since the streets are flooded with rainwater,” a housewife said.

Lyari town administration failed to arrange pumps for drainage. An official admitted that no machine had been deployed in Baghdadi to drain out water. However, he said some machines had been installed in Punjguri Mohalla, at Tannary and Chawkiwara roads.

A visit to the locality shows that overflowing sewage from chocked gutters had turned the conditions worse along Fidha Husain Sheika Road and Bombassa Street and its adjoining locality Baghdadi Saifi Lane.

Area people criticised the town nazim for leaving them alone in the hour of need and showing least interest in mitigating their sufferings. Despite tall claims of the government, the accumulated water in lanes showed that there was no rain emergency plan with the town before hand. The city government and town administration had failed to coordinate for cleaning storm-water drains while putting blame on encroachers.

A town official claimed that they were making all-out efforts for the disposal of stagnant water with available means saying that they had deployed pumps in some areas for drainage on receiving certain complaints.

The residents of Baghdadi union council area complained that they had been receiving contaminated water for the past few days. They feared spread of waterborne diseases in the locality and called early remedial measures.