Karachi floods every monsoon, and every year people act as though it is a surprise. It is not. This year, forecasts suggest that the monsoon will be 26 per cent more severe than last year. I cannot help but think that our streets will simply be even more waterlogged than usual.
The Root Cause: Loss of Green Spaces
That is what happens when every tree is cut down, every open plot is cemented over, and every green space is replaced with concrete. Rainwater has nowhere to go except onto the roads and into people's homes. I walk past construction sites every day on my way to university. Another plot disappears, more trees are felled, and more concrete replaces nature. Then June arrives, and everyone is surprised that the city cannot cope with the rain.
A Historical Perspective
The land managed the water perfectly well before we destroyed it. That is the part nobody wants to acknowledge. Warnings have already been issued. The real question is whether anyone will take meaningful action this time, or whether we will once again endure the same flooding, the same complaints, and the same silence afterwards.
SARAH MACARTHUR, Karachi.
