In the latest report issued by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Karachi has been ranked among the ten least livable cities in the world. The city has maintained a spot on the list for several years now. Currently, the country’s economic hub stands at 134 amongst 140 cities ranked worldwide. But how does a city considered the country’s backbone become one of the least livable cities in the world?

From Kolachi-jo-Goth in 1729 to Karachee in 1742 and present-day Karachi, the city has remained a crucial economic zone. The city was a centre of attention for all administrators of the British Raj. The colonisers understood the city’s strategic importance. This prompted the establishment of the Karachi port and other communication infrastructure, including the railways.

The prospering metropolitan attracted a diverse business community from across the sub-continent. A municipality was established, and Seth Harchandrai Vishandas was elected as the first mayor in 1911. Partition from Bombay residency made Karachi the provincial capital in 1941. By then, the city had become a metropolitan.

During the 1960s, the metropolitan saw the zenith of economic development and attracted human resources from all across the country. Economic prosperity led to major infrastructure development, and the metropolitan transformed into a Beta city.

The report, which assesses the livability of large cities annually, ranked Karachi at 134 with score of 36.2, overall stability of 20, the city’s healthcare at 33.3, culture and environment 33.3, education at 58.3, and infrastructure at 51.8. The report measured how the Covid-19 pandemic affected livability worldwide. Karachi has not improved much in the ranking over the last year.

Once magnificent, the city has fallen prey to parochial politics and mismanagement.

The most populated city of Pakistan has suffered neglect at the hands of local governments. The healthcare and municipal systems are in tatters. Urban flooding last year spotlighted the miserable condition Karachi finds itself in despite a slight improvement in the security situation.

Many development plans for the city have been announced by the PPP-led Sindh government. But some of the fundamental issues remain unresolved.

The most populated city of Pakistan has suffered neglect at the hands of local governments. The healthcare and municipal systems are in tatters. Urban flooding last year spotlighted the miserable condition Karachi finds itself in despite a slight improvement in the security situation.

Momin Sheikh, an urban development specialist, working as an infrastructure and environmental design engineer across Pakistan, says Karachi needs a massive infrastructure haul led and owned by the local government and the citizens.

Karachi experienced urban flooding due to encroachments upon its storm-water drains. Poor solid waste management and increasing monsoon rains have caused blockage in the drainage channels over time. The city remains flooded, with massive loss of lives and property, every year. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board is responsible for operating and maintaining the public sewerage system. The city generates approximately 472 million gallons of sewage daily. Out of this 417 MGD is discharged without treatment. The drains overflow 2-7 times a month. The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board is responsible for collection and disposal of garbage in the province.

Sheikh says like most Pakistani cities, the bustling metropolitan has expanded horizontally. It lacks an efficient public transportation system.

These factors impact the economic activities of a city. Karachi generates 65 per cent of the national tax revenue and contributes 25 percent to the national GDP.

The Covid pandemic has exposed the flaws in the healthcare system, which remains inadequate and inaccessible to the poor. The local government blames the federal government for not providing enough funds to improve the healthcare system.

What can be done to address these concerns that have made Karachi one of the least livable cities? A handbook by World Bank: Transforming Karachi into a livable and competitive megacity: a city diagnostic and transformation strategy of 2018 lists several recommendations. The federal government must undertake patronage in crime control, long-term effects of climate change, and supervise the development of the coastal areas.

With improvement in the security situation, Karachi has started attracting tourists.

If Karachi is incapacitated, it will continue to hurt the country’s economy and lose its emerging position as a tourist destination.

Karachi continues to be a pivot for the economy despite the security issues, political corruption, bad governance, ethnic fault lines, and sectarian/religious issues. It should not be difficult to imagine what good governance, innovative and intelligent urban design and planning, a business-friendly environment and transparency can do for the city.

The writer is an independent media and foreign policy    analyst.   She tweets @MsAishaK