THE recent death of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into a manhole on University Road in Karachi, shook the city. Karachi residents were enraged at the apathy put on display by the relevant civic agencies. They fear that more such incidents can occur if remedial actions are not taken immediately.
Even a cursory look at our roads, streets, footpaths and public spaces exposes both visible and invisible hazards. University Road routinely experiences inundation — not due so much to rains as to broken water pipelines and sewers. With continued excavation there and the absence of an alternative path, mobility along this principal corridor is a challenge. The entity created to oversee the construction and management of the Red Line BRT has been silent on the problems. Far from delivering on its promise of ‘third generation service’ the agency has pushed Karachi into a state comparable to Europe’s Dark Ages!’
Not far away, gas utility contractors continue to excavate the ground to lay some pipes on Abul Hasan Isphahani Road. Similar scenes are in evidence on North Nazimabad’s dug-up streets. It’s a miracle that these death traps haven’t claimed more lives considering the dearth of precautionary steps and civic agencies’ engagement with local residents. Electricity service providers cut trees to enable cables to pass through various corridors, but leave the chopped-up branches on the spot for motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians to navigate.
Ironically, despite its poor-quality roads, Karachi is experiencing an exponential rise in the number of cars and motorbikes, which often take over space meant for other vehicular traffic, besides reducing space for pedestrian movement. In the more congested areas, road-widening schemes are routinely implemented to create more room for cars. This expansion, too, reduces space for pedestrians, who also suffer when road crossings are blocked thanks to unsurpassable curb grills and other barriers. The few overhead crossings in some locations generally don’t work for pedestrians who have to walk long distances to reach them. Women, children, the handicapped and elderly are especially at a disadvantage. Loiterers and addicts squatting along overhead bridges add to the walking inconvenience. Many of these overhead bridges also have gaping holes that can lead to deadly falls.
There is no concept of pedestrian safety on Karachi’s roads.
Different government circles claim to have invested heavily in the urban transport sector — meaning vehicles. There has been negligible effort to facilitate pedestrians. For instance, at points of risky traffic movement, the civic agencies develop flyovers and underpasses. But again, there’s nothing for pedestrians for whom there is no traffic management to even cross the road. They have to tolerate more than that. No authority stops vehicles from parking on the footpaths, which are already crowded with encroachments; excavations and road-widening projects are carried out without any regard for pedestrian safety; there are no sunshades or pedestrian shelters for protection against heat or rain; hoardings and electricity pylons and poles straddling footpaths create more hazards; and there are no facilities for disabled pedestrians. In fact, even the law doesn’t step in to protect pedestrians. Whenever fatal accidents take place due to the carelessness of motorists, for the most part, the latter remain unpunished.
Hit-and-run accidents have increased manifold in Karachi. The unchecked movement of water tankers, dumpers and other large vehicles in suburban locations has proved fatal in many cases. While police personnel are supposed to manage the traffic and there is an electronic challan regime in place, they never seem to be deployed to ensure the safe movement of pedestrians — not even on hazardous points of traffic chaos or near educational and medical institutions. Many times, the death of a pedestrian has led to riots. Riots after the deaths of students Bushra Zaidi in 1985 and Madeeha Sami in 2005 by speeding vehicles are just two examples.
Ibrahim’s death must not go unnoticed. KMC, KWSC and other tiers of local government should initiate a public space safety campaign, which is preferably named after the toddler. This exercise should include a comprehensive safety audit of footpaths, shop thresholds, roads, streets, pedestrian bridges, vehicular bridges, traffic lights, electricity poles/ installations, parks, playgrounds, embankments, culverts, and leftover spaces beneath underpasses. This audit must lead to immediate corrective action. Digital options must be explored to keep citizens informed. Keeping our residents safe from hazards should become the government’s top responsibility.
The writer is an academic and researcher based in Karachi.
Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2025
