n January 29, netizens of Lahore caught two garbage collectors swiftly stealing an iron manhole cover from a busy road.

Manhole covers form one cog in the machine of the road; indispensable to public transport, expensive to produce due to high percentage of iron, they protect unassuming citizens from falling into open gutters, separate reeking fumes of the sewer system from public air, and facilitate ease of access for repair of underground pipes.

Microcosmic versions of the manhole cover exist in houses as well. Once broken, destined to be replaced with chipped pieces of tiles, leftover marble slabs from construction and makeshift concrete covers (guilty as charged). On roads, citizens take it upon themselves to cover open sewers with bundles of tree branches, stacks of bricks, and even cardboard cartons to ward off incoming traffic.

Orange cones surrounding manholes and disrupting traffic is also a common eyesore in Johar Town and its vicinities. A picture of a broken commode being used as a manhole cover in Islamabad made rounds on X. When is a manhole cover not a manhole cover? When it’s a commode connected straight to the supply.

Every year, there are a few deaths from young children falling into open gutters in moments of negligence. Open manholes on roads can also result in roads crashing from heavy traffic, other than causing traffic accidents.

The theft of manhole covers is a well-documented crime in cities such as Lahore. Frequent culprits include garbage collectors, destitute pawners and petty thieves. Iron manhole covers fetch high prices at junkyards, reaching thousands of rupees. Cities have been trying to drive away this theft for many years now. The Capital Development Authority held meetings with junkyard owners and operators in many districts such as Multan, to make sale of manhole covers illegal. In 2018, the Water and Sanitation Agency began distribution of fibreglass manhole covers to deter theft in Lahore, as fiberglass has none of the scrap value that iron does. Some captured lid thieves have had FIRs registered against them under charges of attempted murder. Grave consequences being widely known does have some preventative merit, as the abovementioned garbage collectors fled from the scene once they realised they had been filmed, leaving the manhole cover behind.

Broken and missing manhole covers are endemic to big cities such as Lahore and Karachi. This petty crime is so widespread that every year, there are a few deaths from young children falling into open gutters in moments of negligence. Open manholes can also result in roads crashing from heavy traffic, other than causing traffic accidents from drivers seeing the hole late or being stuck in the open gutter.

In the face of negligence, gaping gutters swallow Lahore’s children. Better watch your step.

The writer is an interdisciplinary student of literature and sciences at Lahore College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at fajr.rauf5@gmail com