Oh…The Clean Clean (not) Streets of Karachi
August 30, 2019
(Photo credit- https://colnect.com/en/stamps/stamp/480344-Birth_Centenary_1986_of_Jamshed_Nusserwanjee_Mehta-Pakistan)
I’m visiting “The
Big Apple” … and it’s clean!
Jamshed
Nusserwanji Mehta was the 1st Mayor of Karachi in 1933. “…Karachi became the cleanest city in the
East. Its broad streets, lights, sanitation and water system, … [ ] … spoke of
the city’s progress” (https://www.dawn.com/news/649943/in-memoriam-jamshed-nusserwanji-the-builder-of-modern-karachi). My grandfather told us how the
Mayor ensured the streets were washed twice a day, which he personally
supervised periodically.
Look at where we are now … ☹☹☹. We can have all the latest, mechanized tools
but there’s no “system” or “will”, so we might as well [continue] to live in
the dark ages.
There is no reason Karachi cannot reclaim this
glory. I AM KARACHI (http://iamkarachi.org/), the social NGO, has proven that keeping city walls clean & painted
with street art, ensures no vandalism or defacement of property. In the same vein, once the city is cleaned
& maintained by the Municipality, there is absolutely no reason why we will
not maintain the same. I am not
justifying wrong actions but it’s only when our citizens see a clean city will
we continue the practice … and there’s no rocket science involved.
Throw out all mechanical tools and go back to Jamshed
Mehta’s simplicity – put idle bodies on the roads, give them a broom and bucket
each and get them to deep clean the roads, the garbage bins, the nooks &
crannies every night from midnight to 6am. Put a garbage bin on EVERY alternate light
pole; on every street corner; at every traffic signal – enabling people a means
to throw their daily trash! Through the
day have roving street cleaners who will simply pick up large debris like cans,
plastics, etc. You will create
EMPLOYMENT.
You will give an honest day’s wage to the
unemployed and a meaning to their lives.
Infant mortality will increase. You
will eradicate mosquitos, disease and other scourge of pollution. These are not simply PR words – this can
happen!
In return, we will get a clean city and healthy
citizens.
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