Zia Ul Islam Zuberi

There are several dangers that lurk on the streets of Karachi trapping its unwary residents on a regular basis. These dangers are not diminishing with each passing day but instead increasing unchecked. Take for example the threat of rabies. According to latest reports, Karachi faces a severe, ongoing rabies threat with over 26,000 stray dog bite cases reported recently and multiple fatalities. The high-risk areas have also been pinpointed and these include Landhi, Korangi, Malir, and Orangi Town though stray dogs are now found in many others areas as well that include fashionable districts like Clifton and DHA. All in all, there have been 29,000 dog-bite cases in Karachi in 2025, which was beyond all expectations. Rabies is also dangerous in the sense that the incubation period may vary typically from one to three months thus delaying symptom onset and make timely intervention more difficult, increasing the risk of additional exposures. Alas, rabies is not the only threat faced by the residents of Karachi. A happy occasion like a marriage or even a birthday can claim lives unexpectedly as some overjoyed participants of these ceremonies packing guns resort to firing in air and inadvertently shoot their own kith and kin. Guns are as rampant as rabies in the city and used sparingly as was evident in the latest such episode in which an argument took place at a wedding in one of the outlying Goths known as Dhani Bux Goth. Initially, the matter was settled at the wedding venue though guns were drawn. It was later that one of the parties who were not fully satisfied attacked the house of the other party using firearms and as a result two people were killed and four injured. In other incident that also points to the presence of firearms in the city a woman and her two teenage sons were shot dead in the jurisdiction of Saeedabad police station. Not only are private feuds being settled through firearms, but there is suddenly a surge in armed looting of persons withdrawing money from banks. Two such incidents were reported in which millions were looted from people withdrawing money from banks. One person was shot dead while another received injuries on his leg. All this despite increased police patrols and extra vigilance as ordered by the chief of police, who seems dedicated to wipe out crime from the city.

There are also other dangers facing the people of Karachi and specially the poor people who risk their lives to earn a living. I am referring to the underprivileged class who would risk their lives to earn a living. Some of these willingly agree to clean underground tanks and manholes without the use of any protective gear. Every other day we hear of two or three young men losing their lives while trying to earn a living in this fashion. Many of these underground water tanks and manholes have over a period of time accumulated poisonous gases, and it is suicidal to go down without protection, but these poor souls have no choice as this is how they earn a living. Maybe one way to halt this senseless waste of human lives is to make it mandatory for at least all high-rise buildings to have protective gear on the premises specifically for cleaning underground tanks and manholes. This can easily be procured from the monthly maintenance charges that most building committees gather each month.

If you look at the possible hazards that a resident of Karachi might face any ordinary day the list will be long and awesome. This could include armed dacoity, traffic accident, dodging open manholes, avoiding rabid dogs, warding off persistent beggars and parking attendants, etc. Over the years the people of Karachi have learned to live and survive in these conditions and actually enjoy the various challenges every day.

(The writer is a well-known columnist)