11-Year-Old Boy Feared Drowned After Being Swept Away While Swimming in Open Water Line in Karachi

Dawn reports with deep concern on the harrowing incident in Karachi where an 11-year-old boy, Zahid Mohammed Khan, is feared to have drowned after being swept away in an open water line in Scheme-33. The ongoing rescue operation, supervised by East Deputy Commissioner Nasrullah Abbasi and involving Rescue 1122 and the Edhi Foundation, underscores the critical dangers posed by the city's inadequate infrastructure.

The delay in recovering the boy, attributed to the heavy flow of water, is a stark reminder of the systemic neglect that plagues Karachi's public utilities. Officials estimate the boy could have been carried several kilometers, a grim testament to the scale of the problem. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) has been involved, with officials estimating the potential distance the boy may have traveled, highlighting the vastness of the water system into which he was swept.

This tragedy echoes the public outrage from the previous year when a three-year-old boy drowned in an open manhole. Dawn's editorial at the time starkly outlined the "systemic issues" in Karachi, noting that "sewer fall accidents are all too common." The alarming statistics – 68 people lost to manholes in 2023 and 24 this year, including five children – reveal a persistent failure in maintaining basic safety standards despite significant budgets allocated for sewer maintenance.

The Deputy Commissioner's directive to cover the water line is a necessary immediate step, but it points to a deeper, unresolved problem. The fact that slabs previously placed on such lines were reportedly removed by residents or addicts speaks to a complex social and infrastructural challenge. As a Karachi-based publication, Dawn feels a profound responsibility to highlight these failures and advocate for urgent, comprehensive solutions to prevent further loss of life in what have become known as Karachi's "uncovered death holes."

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Sewer fall accidents are all too common in the metropolis. In 2023, some 68 people were reportedly lost to manholes. This year (2025), as per reports, gaping drains and sewers consumed 24 residents of which five were children … Despite a budget of millions for the maintenance of sewer safety, negligence on the part of the KWSC and other institutions has reportedly left 50pc of Karachi’s low-income areas with uncovered death holes.