Karachi: Hapless citizens of the megacity, Karachi, suffer silently as the corrupt administration and its negligent private contractors fail to effectively collect solid waste, leaving almost 40 percent of it to rot in streets causing diseases and distress, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor on Sunday.
Altaf Shakoor said not only billions of rupees from the taxpayers' money are wasted on inefficient garbage collection systems, but the citizens also spend a huge portion of their income on treatment of vector borne diseases arising from rotting garbage.
He said Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, is drowning in its own waste. With a population exceeding 20 million, the metropolis generates more than 12,000 tons of solid waste daily. Yet nearly 40 percent of this garbage remains uncollected, left to rot in open plots, streets, and stormwater drains. The result is a megacity struggling with disease outbreaks, polluted water, and urban decay.
Altaf Shakoor said the citizens bear the brunt of this negligence on part of a government that claims to be the elected government of the people. Uncollected trash has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents, fueling epidemics of dengue, malaria, and gastrointestinal illnesses. Toxic runoff contaminates groundwater, while plastic and other debris choke Karachi's coastline, threatening marine life and livelihoods. The clogged drainage system worsens monsoon flooding, damaging homes and businesses and adding to the financial burden of residents.
He said the cost of poor waste management is staggering. Rising healthcare expenses, lost productivity due to illness, and property damage from urban flooding drain millions from the city's economy each year. At the same time, Karachi misses out on opportunities to recycle waste and generate energy, turning potential revenue into mounting losses.
PDP Chairman said despite billions of rupees spent from taxpayers' money, Karachi's solid waste management system stands exposed as a failure. The staggering allocations, including international project funding, have not translated into cleaner streets or healthier citizens. Instead, nearly 40 percent of the city's garbage still roots in drains and open plots, fueling disease, flooding, and pollution. This mismatch between massive spending and miserable outcomes underscores not just inefficiency but government negligence, leaving Karachiites to suffer daily while their money disappears into a system that delivers little more than decay. Billions have been burned, but the megacity still stinks.
He said for ordinary Karachiites, the crisis is more than statistics-it is daily suffering. Streets littered with trash, foul odors, and unsafe water supplies have become part of life in a city that once prided itself as Pakistan's economic hub.
He said unless authorities act decisively, citizens will continue to pay the price for negligence in the most basic of urban services: keeping the city clean. Karachi is choking, and the silence of its rulers is deafening.
He said if the government machinery works with honesty some solutions are within reach. The government can modernise landfill sites and recycling facilities, introducing waste-to-energy projects to reduce landfill dependency, and launching public awareness campaigns to encourage household-level segregation. He said strengthening municipal accountability and streamlining responsibilities could transform Karachi's waste from a liability into an opportunity, restoring dignity and livability to the city.
He said the corrupt and kickback culture of our government is the main obstacle. It is an open secret that local and foreign contracts are given on 'commission and kickback' basis and top political brass of ruling parties are said to be involved in this malpractice. He said if this corruption is ended or at least reduced the results would be visible.
He asked the government to take practical steps to keep the megacity clean. He said what Karachi needs is not more promises, but a clean break from the filth of failure.