TWO young sisters recently died in a road accident. They were riding with their brother on a motorbike on a broken road in Nazimabad, Karachi. The bike lost balance when the front wheel came off as the vehicle hit a pothole. The sisters fell off and were crushed under the wheels of a passing heavy vehicle. Sadly, fatal accidents in the city are rising sharply. According to a news report, around 300 people have lost their lives in traffic accidents in the past 100 days. About 100 of these accidents involved heavy vehicles.

Even during light to moderate rains, the city’s roads turn dangerous. A video clip shows a parked car sinking in a road filled with water during the recent unseasonal rains. A female passenger was rescued by people in the area. In some areas, many motorcyclists have barely escaped drowning when their bikes fell into water-filled ditches that emerged on the main and service roads. Apparently some construction work had been going on — with no warning or safety arrangements. Gas authorities have been active in the city, digging up neighbourhoods to lay pipes and work on other infrastructure. Contractors are operating without putting in place any safety protocols. They leave the roads broken after........

© Dawn