Karachi’s daily disasters expose a city crippled by corruption and misrule

Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, is increasingly becoming a place where death is no longer an exception but a recurring reality. The city’s residents are living under constant threat - from fires and building collapses to road accidents and street crime - often dying in incidents that could have been prevented through basic governance and safety standards.

The recent Gul Plaza blaze has once again exposed the city’s systemic failures, highlighting that Karachi is not merely facing isolated tragedies, but a chronic public safety crisis.

In the latest episode of On My Radar, Kamran Khan said that Karachi has effectively been turned into a “well of death,” where citizens are forced to risk their lives daily due to widespread corruption and failed governance.

He argued that the real threat to Karachi’s population is not terrorism or natural disasters, but the city’s own dysfunctional system.

Fire incidents: A growing pattern of disaster

The Gul Plaza fire, which killed over 50 people, has become the most recent example of Karachi’s vulnerability. Between November 2024 and January 17, 2026, more than 1,700 fire incidents were reported across the city, mainly attributed to short circuits and faulty wiring. These fires claimed 87 lives, underscoring that Karachi’s fire safety infrastructure and emergency response systems remain inadequate.

Open manholes and storm drains have become deadly hazards for residents. In 2025 alone, 27 people died after falling into open manholes and drains, including eight children. Heavy rainfall turns stormwater channels into lethal traps, and the problem worsens when municipal systems fail to maintain basic safety standards.

Recently, three sanitation workers died in Saddar Town after being exposed to toxic gases in a manhole. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board had sent them into a sewage channel without protective measures—an example of how negligence can turn routine tasks into fatal operations.

Karachi’s broken roads have become a constant threat to life. Major arteries such as M.A. Jinnah Road, University Road, and Jahangir Road remain damaged for years, with potholes and uneven surfaces causing frequent accidents and traffic congestion.

In 2025, at least 833 people died in traffic accidents, including 650 men, 85 women, and 98 children. Heavy vehicles were responsible for a significant share of fatalities: 99 people were crushed by trailers, 60 by water tankers, 44 by dumpers, and 33 by buses. This points to a major enforcement failure, as reckless heavy vehicles continue to operate without restrictions.

Building collapses: The cost of corruption

Building collapses have become a common occurrence in Karachi, reflecting systemic corruption and poor regulation. In 2025, four major building collapses killed 38 people. The deadliest incident occurred on July 4, 2025, in Lyari’s Baghdadi area, where a five-story building collapsed and 27 people died, including women and children.

Karachi’s construction boom has often been built on plots of just 80 square yards, with multi-story buildings erected without proper oversight. Poor construction standards and illegal development mean that these buildings can collapse after only a few years, wiping out residents’ savings and lives.

Street crime is another major factor driving fatalities in Karachi. In 2025, 106 people were killed during street robberies, with many victims shot for resisting theft of mobile phones or cash. The lack of effective law enforcement and public safety measures has made the city’s streets increasingly dangerous.

Basic amenities: A city in decline

Beyond violence and accidents, Karachi residents face daily hardships that affect their quality of life. Broken roads, water shortages, overflowing garbage dumps, polluted drains, and inadequate public transport have become the city’s defining features. International agencies now rank Karachi among the world’s least livable cities. In The Economist’s recent Global Liveability Index, Karachi ranked third from bottom.

Despite being Pakistan’s port city, Karachi faces severe water shortages. Residents across areas from Lyari to Defense struggle to access clean water. The city receives only half of its required water supply, forcing many to purchase water privately.

Traveling across the city has become a daily risk. Citizens rely on dilapidated buses or unsafe rickshaws, while promised mass transit systems such as the Red Line, Orange Line, Blue Line, and Yellow Line remain largely unrealized. Only a handful of Red and Pink buses have been introduced, leaving the city far from any comprehensive public transport solution.

Systemic corruption: A culture of looting

Corruption is entrenched in Karachi’s governance system. The Sindh Building Control Authority and the Board of Revenue are considered the most corrupt institutions, where bribes are common even for job postings. This culture of corruption undermines any attempt to improve the city’s infrastructure or safety.

Karachi residents are not even safe from stray dog attacks. In the first six days of 2026 alone, more than 800 dog bite incidents were reported, including over 300 cases at Indus Hospital in Korangi. This highlights the lack of effective animal control and public health measures.

All these incidents point to a single conclusion: Karachi’s deaths are not isolated accidents but the outcome of governance failure and corruption. The question is no longer when the next tragedy will happen, but when the federal government will respond to Karachi’s cry for help.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir must address the crisis urgently. Karachi’s hundreds of deaths are not caused by natural disasters or terrorism; they are caused by corruption and poor governance. The city’s survival depends on immediate federal action.