Greed unlimited: Why did Karachi’s Super Highway overflow?

KARACHI: The city’s unplanned expansion and the negligence of the local authorities are causing immense difficulties for the masses. 

One such incident occurred last night when hundreds of travellers on the Super Highway were stranded for hours after the highway overflowed following heavy rainfall.

The Karachi-Hyderabad motorway, also called M9, was blocked for hours on Thursday night after it was flooded by water coming from the Northern Bypass due to the blockage of a rainwater drain along Jinnah Avenue.

According to a Geo News investigation report, the waterway leading to Mehran nullah along Jinnah Avenue was blocked by a parking lot built on it outside a builder's booking office.

The drain was specially constructed several years ago to avoid the occurrence of flooding by providing a waterway to Mehran nullah during heavy rains.

The concerned authorities took no action when the drain was illegally occupied but after last night's development, heavy machinery was deployed to clear the area.

When asked, a  district administration official, who was supervising the operation, failed to provide a satisfactory response and insisted that the situation developed due to the massive flow of water and has nothing to do with encroachment.

The cattle market on the Super Highway and those going to Hyderabad were in agony for hours. Citizens also faced difficulties after nearby societies were flooded.

After several hours of efforts by the administration and law enforcement agencies, traffic was restored on both tracks of the Super Highway.