Under Karachi’s baroque local governance, services are choked by a tangle of different administrations, often run by competing political fiefdoms. In the confusion, drains go uncleared, rubbish can go uncollected and water mains reach few buildings. All the while, the city gets bigger.
The effects of climate change are already being seen, said Sardar Sarfaraz, the Pakistan meteorological department’s Karachi head.
He said Karachi usually received 132 mm (five inches) of rain from July to September, but this year had so far seen more than 500 mm (19 inches).
“The effects of global climate change are now being felt. This series of rains will increase in the coming years. Steps must be taken to address climate change.”
The flooding and the delays in clearing debris and pools of stagnant water have caused a wave of anger in a resilient and long-suffering city.
The pressures on land and housing felt in both Afghanistan and Pakistan are set to grow. If expected talks between the Taliban and Afghan government do provide some stability, or even peace, then millions of refugees are expected to return from Iran and Pakistan. Both countries have birth rates well about average.
Syed Murad Ali Shah, chief minister of Sindh province, which includes Karachi said his government’s goal to draw up a climate change plan was hamstrung by a lack of money and manpower.“The effects of climate change are being felt around the world. We have to prepare ourselves,” he said.
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