Karachi Rain Crisis: Mayor’s Remark Sparks Outrage

The Karachi rain crisis has once again left the city paralyzed after two days of relentless downpours. Floodwater has submerged roads, cutting off residents and raising fears of another urban disaster. In the middle of this emergency, Mayor Murtaza Wahab sparked online ridicule with a Facebook post describing Lyari “naddi” as “flowing like a river.” Karachiites quickly turned the comment into the city’s newest internet punchline.

Mayor’s Remark Triggers Online Reaction

Mayor Wahab wrote on social media that the Lyari naddi was “flowing like a river at this point in time.” Residents immediately pointed out the redundancy. After all, the Lyari naddi is indeed a river, and rivers do flow like rivers.

Social media erupted with sarcasm. One user wrote, “Lyari naddi is flowing like a river because it is a river! Fix it, let it flow!” Another mocked, “The mayor is shocked because OMG the river has started to flow like a river!” Dozens of others posted memes and snarky comments, adding humor to an otherwise dire situation.

A Deeper Crisis Beneath the Humor

While the mayor’s remark entertained many, the bigger picture remains grim. Karachi’s two rivers, Lyari and Malir, were once seasonal streams that carried fresh water from the city’s outskirts to the Arabian Sea. Over the years, unchecked urban expansion, encroachments, and mismanagement transformed them into open sewers.

Natural floodplains that once absorbed excess rainwater now host housing societies, katchi abadis, and commercial projects. As a result, heavy rainfall quickly overwhelms the drainage system. With no clear path for water to escape, flooding has become routine.

Read: Karachi Braces for Urban Flooding as Heavy Rains Hit

Not Just Karachi’s Problem

The neglect of rivers is not limited to Karachi. Lahore’s Ravi River has suffered the same fate. The ambitious Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project built extensively along a 46-kilometer stretch of its banks. But when floods struck earlier this season, the river reclaimed its path. Entire communities lost homes and businesses worth billions. The disaster highlighted what happens when natural waterways are tampered with for short-term development.

Both cities demonstrate the same pattern: rivers treated as nuisances rather than lifelines. Authorities prioritized construction over ecology, and the public continues to bear the cost.

Karachi Residents Express Anger

Frustration is spilling online as fast as the rainwater flooding streets. A resident posted a video from Teen Hatti Bridge showing Lyari River at levels he had never seen before. He linked the surge to heavy rains in Surjani, Gadap, and Kathore.

Others highlighted the role of encroachments, pointing to illegal settlements and construction choking the rivers.

YouTuber Shehzad Ghias also commented on the situation, amplifying voices calling for accountability. Many residents repeated the same grievance heard every monsoon: despite Karachi being Pakistan’s highest taxpaying city, just a few hours of rain bring it to a standstill. Roads drown, traffic stalls, hospitals become unreachable, and daily life collapses. Citizens blamed decades of corruption and poor governance for the recurring chaos.

Tragedies Emerge Amid the Floods

Beyond frustration, the rain has brought tragedy. Rising waters in the Malir River, near the Malir Expressway, claimed the life of a young man identified as Ali Gul Mithani. His drowning highlighted the deadly risks posed by Karachi’s broken infrastructure and ineffective disaster response.

Meanwhile, updates from Lyari and Malir rivers continue to show dangerously high water levels. Residents living near the banks fear further flooding if rains persist.

The Lesson Karachi Must Learn

The ongoing crisis drives home a painfully simple lesson: rivers are meant to flow. They cannot be boxed in with concrete, treated as sewage drains, or covered with housing societies. Attempts to control or repurpose natural waterways only set the stage for disaster.

When floodplains are encroached upon, when storm drains are blocked, and when rivers are reduced to dumping grounds, cities lose their natural defense systems. The result is what Karachi faces today—paralysis, destruction, and loss of life after every major rain.

A Call for Change

Experts argue that real solutions demand more than temporary relief efforts. Integrated urban planning is essential. Karachi needs restored waterways, cleared encroachments, and sustainable drainage systems. Without this, the cycle of floods and chaos will continue.

For now, residents cope with humor and sarcasm online, but the suffering is real. The flooding of Karachi is not merely a seasonal inconvenience—it is a man-made disaster fueled by neglect and mismanagement. Until governance aligns with basic principles of urban ecology, each spell of rain will bring with it destruction, frustration, and grief.