As a responsible citizen of this city, I want to draw the attention of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board towards the unhygienic conditions around Jama Masjid of Gulshan-i-Farooq in Sector 7D/2 of North Karachi township.

People face great hardship in reaching the mosque for offering prayers.

The mosque virtually looks like an island with sewage lying all around.

Residents of the locality have been facing this hardship for the last six months. It makes breathing difficult for them as an obnoxious smell keeps emanating from the sewage and stagnant water.

It has also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies, which are spreading malaria and cholera, respectively.

On making repeated complaints, the residents were told that the matter could not be undertaken in the near future as it would cost a lot in replacing the sewerage system with a new one.

As a citizen, it is my right to ask the government whether in a democratic setup people’s welfare counts more or an inefficient bureaucracy on whose welfare the government was spending billions of rupees.

I, therefore, urge the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to look into this complaint immediately and undertake all necessary remedial measures as soon as possible.

S.M. ASADULLAH FAIZ Karachi.