Karachi: As dense clouds continue to dominate the city’s heavens after the recent devastation of the monsoon, health experts and environmentalist highs have urged the authorities to accelerate the process of clearing the stagnant water and lifting solid waste before the next spell to minimize the threat of disease outbreaks.
They also emphasized the need to prioritize regular cleaning of rainwater drains and rainwater collection so that they help replace the exhaustion of groundwater resources and minimize the threat of urban floods.
“There is a high risk due to the propagation of vector diseases and transmitted by water this year, given the high intensity of the rains that we have just experienced. We must try to use the short time available at this time before the next spell reaches as the stagnant water pools will soon become of Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Karachi.
He added that generally cases of gastroenteritis, malaria and dengue see an abrupt increase shortly after the rains, especially during this season.
Overwhelming antallas, stagnant water swimming pools, lots of garbage that become a mosquito playback, experts warn
At this time, said Dr. Sarwar, most of the patients who reported in the emergency department suffered viral infections. “But this pattern is likely to change in the next few days, as happens every year during and after the monsoon.”
Sharing his clinical observations, Dr. Abdul Wahid Rajput, a medical superintendent of the Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Sindh and the research center, said the vector and the diseases transmitted by water constituted 30 to 40 percent of the patient’s charge.
“The threat of diseases transmitted by water and the vector should not be taken lightly since these diseases can kill, if complications occur. All age groups are affected,” he said, adding that the city’s infrastructure was fragile and citizens shared responsibility with the state of contributing to make their neighborhoods habitable.
Killing mosquitoes
Speaking of solutions, Dr. Waqar Ahmed at the Institute of Environmental Studies of the University of Karachi said that a small amount of oil, such as vegetable oil, neem or mineral or kerosene, added to the water where the breeding of mosquitoes could kill these insects.
“This is an old traditional method. Unfortunately, most people have forgotten. If citizens begin to do so, there will be a strong decrease in the mosquito population and the cases of diseases that insects cause,” he said, and added that the method did not cause any damage to the environment because the oil used was in a too small amount.
Dr. Ahmed also suggested that rainwater could also be used to replace underground water resources with rain.
“If we could collect rainwater on the ceilings and then direct it to boring channels that go to the ground, we could help recharge our reservoirs,” he explained, regretting that the growing concretization of the city would have left unpaved spaces limited to review the groundwater again.
The city authorities emphasized, they should also think and plan the collection of rainwater, and make it mandatory in the new buildings to have this mechanism.
“This will also help minimize urban floods. The other strategy is to guarantee regular cleaning of rainwater drains and eliminate invasions about them,” he said.
Posted in Dawn, August 27, 2025
