Karachi residents faced disruptions in their daily commute on Monday morning due to traffic jams caused by repair work on tattered and flooded roads in the aftermath of last week’s heavy rains.
Torrential rains on August 19 had flooded neighbourhoods, severely strained Karachi’s fragile infrastructure, left people stranded on roads for hours, disrupted industrial operations and led to prolonged power outages.
Thoroughfares are still riddled with potholes, exposing the devastation of Karachi’s road network and posing serious dangers to commuters across the metropolis.
Subsequently, as Karachiites left their homes for offices and schools this morning, they faced hurdles caused by accumulated rainwater and “development work” being carried out to repair the ruined roads, as reported by the traffic police.
Areas in the Malir, East and Korangi districts were affected, with locations including the busy thoroughfares of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road near Shaheen Complex and M.M. Alam Road.
Dawn.com staffers also reported traffic congestion near Shaheen Complex and on Sharea Faisal at around 10am.
To avoid hassle and inconvenience, the Karachi Traffic Police (KTP) urged commuters to call the 1915 helpline for alternative routes.
At around 12pm, Google Maps showed most main arteries as having light traffic flow. However, multiple road blockages were reported across the city, notably in locations where roads had been inundated due to rainwater.
In an update at 7:37am, the traffic police said “development work on potholes” was being done on the second track of Natha Khan Bridge going towards the airport.
However, the statement said there was “no traffic problem” as vehicles passed through the sides.
In Malir district, Madras Chowk heading to Sachal Goth and Muhammad Khan Goth and on Suparco Roads was blocked for traffic at 8:43am as “drain development work” was underway.
“Traffic is being diverted to other roads on both sides. Due to both roads being blocked, there’s traffic pressure at Madras Chowk,” the KTP said.
More to follow