Covering Nehr-i-Khayyam poses risk of urban flooding: experts
• Clifton residents, environmentalists stage rally to protest construction at key waterway • Demand suspension of work until EIA is conducted and project details are made public KARACHI: Expressing concern over construction at Nehr-i-Khayyam, an open drain in Clifton’s Block 5, residents and environmentalists from across the city held an awareness walk on Sunday, fearing that covering the drain…
Residents and environmentalists in Clifton, Karachi, recently protested the construction of a drainage cover at Nehr-i-Khayyam, an open drain in the Block 5 area. Worried that the project would narrow the drain and promote commercial use, demonstrators held signs demanding the suspension of work and the restoration of the drain's original width.
Trees had once lined both sides of the drain, but construction had left them lining only one side. At the site, workers had already constructed two concrete columns, with half of them plastered with cement and T-shaped concrete blocks scattered nearby. Protests gathered momentum as demonstrators questioned the discharge of sewage into the waterway, which they alleged was then used to justify covering half of the drain.
Environmentalists demanded an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and transparency regarding the project, warning that the drainage cover could lead to urban flooding during heavy rainfall. They also stressed the need to preserve the original width of the waterway, as it had historically helped prevent rainwater from accumulating and causing issues during the rainy season.
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