Water and power work triggers protests across multiple points in Karachi – Pakistan

Several parts of Karachi on Tuesday witnessed serious traffic, law and order issues mainly due to protests against ongoing work on water and power infrastructure with authorities fearing an escalation in public anger, according to officials.

Citizens are likely to suffer a water crisis till Friday mainly due to the disruption of the water line on University Road near old Sabzi Mandi during ongoing construction activity for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

Citizens faced difficulty in reaching their homes as both tracks of several roads in various areas were blocked by residents, forcing traffic authorities to divert traffic on alternative routes where slow movement of vehicles was reported, as per updates from the Karachi Traffic Police (KTP).

According to a statement from the KTP spokesperson, there were several protests and sit-ins on main roads across the city. Barring main MA Jinnah Road where retired employees of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation held demonstrations for their pension issue, all other protests were related to water and power issues, according to the KTP statement.

In the South Zone, the old city area, particularly Arambagh, Eidgah Chowk, Tibet Centre and Fresco Chowk, were the most affected because of protests against water and power shortage, according to South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza.

He said the police expected more protests and sit-ins with an aggravation of the law and order situation as there were reports that several areas of the metropolis may not get water supply till Friday owing to the disruption of the water line near old Sabzi Mandi.

He said these civic issues needed to be addressed by the authorities as the police could engage the protestors in talks or help divert and regulate traffic but they could not provide water.

DIG Raza said that realising the gravity of the problem, the Sindh chief secretary was taking concerted efforts for overhauling the traffic situation by taking several initiatives such as the removal of encroachments and more. “It is a long haul but it should be religiously followed,” DIG Raza said.

Newly appointed Traffic DIG Pir Mohammed Shah told Dawn.com that during the last two months, at least 190 protests and sit-ins had taken place in the city, mainly due to water and power issues and other problems.

The most affected areas were Teen Hatti, Guru Mandir, Lyari, Gharifabad, Liaquatabad, Askari Park, Subzi Mandi, Quaidabad, Dawood Chowrangi, Link Road and Sohrab Goth.

He said two to three protests took place daily against water and power issues on average. “This is a genuine and serious issue, which needs to be addressed urgently for smooth flow of traffic and preventing traffic chaos,” the traffic police chief said.

A KTP statement said both tracks of Jehangir Road near Shah Najaf remained closed for traffic as the residents were protesting against a lack of water and power.

Traffic was diverted on alternative routes and the road remained closed to traffic till the filing of this report. The citizens suffered due to traffic chaos on several adjoining roads such Numaish Chowrangi towards Guru Mandi, Bahadur Yar Jang Road and Business Recorder Road.

Both tracks of Jamshed Road near a Pakistan State Oil petrol pump remained closed for traffic for identical issues of water and power. The residents of Landhi-89 blocked both tracks of the main road because of lack of water while Murtaza Chowrangi also remained closed for the same issue. Both tracks of the main road in Garden were also closed for traffic because of the residents’ protest against water and power shortage.

Similar protests were also reported from the Korangi Industrial Area.