KARACHI, July 16: The civic agencies have yet to take steps for cleaning the major storm water drains in the city including the Kalri nullah in Keamari Town.

The residents fear that if immediate steps are not taken to clean up the Kalri nullah, several localities situated on the periphery of the Mauripur Road and the Mirza Adam Khan Road will submerge in case of any summer rainfall.

The outlet of the drain is Baldia Town and after passing through various parts of Lyari Town it terminates at the Arabian Sea near the Karachi Fish Harbour in Keamari Town.

A survey shows that the drain at its outfall near Mohammadi Colony is almost clogged with slash and garbage and for quite some years no cleaning work has been carried out. The entire drain network passing through the Lyari Town area is flooded with garbage.

Karachi has nine big storm water drains or drainage channels,all of which are natural watercourses and carry almost all of the city’s sewerage and rainwater into the sea.

Of these five older ones are the Ranchore Lane nullah near the Habib Public School, the Sara Quarter nullah, the Frere Quarter nullah near Boating Basin, the Pritchard nullah near the Wazir Mansion railway station and the Kalri nullah whose outlet is near the Baldia railway station.

A survey shows that most of these nullahs have not been cleaned up for quite some years. Because of years of neglect, piles of garbage have blocked the inlets and the outlets. Silting has further raised the level of their beds to an extent that the nullahs are now higher than the older sewerage system. It is observed that it requires the slightest amount of rain water to make the gutters overflow.

Rainfall in Karachi averages 7-8 inches per year. Whenever, monsoon causes severe flooding damage to property and disruption of services, creating problems for citizens.

Most of the storm water drains discharged from the city terminates at the Lyari river, Malir river, the Gujar nullah and the Orangi Nullah, and ultimately the Arabian Sea. Thus the localities near the Arabian Sea suffer worst.