KARACHI, July 31: The body of a man who went missing on Tuesday when the city received its first monsoon downpour was found in an open stormwater drain in Surjani Town on Wednesday.

Identified as Shakeel Ahmed, 48, the man was believed to have drowned in the drain when he went out at 8pm to run an errand near his apartment building (KDA Flats in Sector 4-A, Surjani Town). Apparently he did not see the open drain in the flooded street and fell into it and to death, leaving the hapless family to search for him everywhere they could think of finding him.

His relatives told Dawn that the deceased, an employee of the Afroze Textile Mills, had left three children – a girl and two teenaged boys -- and was buried on Thursday.

Recalling that a child had died after falling into an open manhole near Al-Azam Square in Liaquatabad Town in September last year, a close relative of the drowned man said that although a number of pedestrians, particularly children, had fallen into open manholes in the recent past, the authorities concerned seemed to have taken no steps to avert such tragic incidents.

During a random visit of the city, one could spot a number of open manholes not only in the lanes of different localities, but also on the main thoroughfares. According to well-placed sources in the KWSB, there are about 1,500 manholes in the city which are either uncovered or their covers are broken, but they have neither been replaced nor repaired for long. The sources pointed that at least two manholes with broken covers could be spotted on the stretch of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road between the PIDC House and Shaheen Complex.Though some uncovered manholes may be seen even on the main thoroughfares such as M. A. Jinnah Road, Jehangir Road, Shahrah-i-Liaquat, main University Road, the largest number of open manholes are in Orangi, Korangi, Khokharapar, Malir, Surjani Town, New Karachi, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Federal B Area as well as in different parts of the Old City Area.

Admitting that the former managements of the KWSB had always been spending a huge amount under the head of getting manholes built, insiders told Dawn that where such manhole covers were placed was a mystery.

Besides, there are some open stormwater drains whose protective walls are either missing or have been lying in a dilapidated state for long, posing a serious danger to the lives of both pedestrians and motorists.

While driving on Tipu Sultan Road one can see that a portion of the protective wall of a stormwater drain that runs through the middle of the road, particularly near the KESC office, is missing and as such the possibilities of pedestrians and motorists becoming victim to the drain are many as street-lights of the area often remain off.