Five-year-old boy dies after falling into open sewer

In the first tragic incident of the new year, a boy died after falling into an open sewer in Shah Faisal Colony on Sunday. The child lost his life in a preventable accident.

Identified as five-year-old Abad, the deceased was a resident of Kala Pul, and had come with his family to attend an Aqiqah ceremony at his uncle’s house. The incident happened near Tahira Ashrafi Hall in Shah Faisal Colony No. 2.

While playing outside, the child accidentally fell into an uncovered manhole. Family members and neighbours initially tried to rescue him themselves, but police, Edhi and 1122 rescue teams were called in later.

After an hour-long effort, they recovered the boy’s body, which was then shifted to a hospital and later handed over to the family after completing the legal formalities. The joyous celebrations of the Aqiqah ceremony turned into mourning as the child’s body reached home. The parents and relatives were devastated, and the entire area was engulfed in grief.

According to the locals, the main sewer line in the area had an uncovered manhole, which caused this tragic accident. They criticised the government for its negligence, saying that the authorities only make claims about development projects but fail to take practical steps.

They noted that this is not the first such incident, as multiple cases of children falling into open manholes and losing their lives have occurred across the city. The residents appealed to the chief justice to take notice of the incident, and hold those responsible accountable to prevent further tragedies. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori also took notice of the incident.

It is worth mentioning here that during the previous year, 19 children lost their lives after falling into open manholes in different parts of the city, yet no significant action has been taken by the authorities to prevent such incidents.