Infrastructure despite holding an immense importance in terms of economic activities, stands demolished in Balochistan in the wake of recent floods. A number of bridges have been washed away, including the main bridge connecting Hub to Karachi. Since the collapse of the bridge, heavy and light traffic is forced to use the Western Bypass, which is the only bridge currently connecting Balochistan to Sindh.
The Hub-Karachi bridge had been sustaining a heavy flow of traffic for the last three decades, and in 2017 some of its bolstering pillars were damaged when they could not stand the ferocity of the floods back then.
Following the news about the damaged pillars, National Highway Authority (NHA) engineers carried out damage assessment, and declared it fit for routine traffic.
For five years, no NHA official bothered to check the health of the bridge till the recent floods washed it away eventually.
Since the bridge is no more functional, the commuters, including students and traders, have been using the Western Bypass as the lone alternative.
As a result, it remains clogged with heavy vehicles, making it difficult for students to reach academic institutions in Karachi on time. In addition, the route entails an additional distance of 22km that adds to the sufferings of those condemned to use it every single day.
It is frustrating in every sense of the word, including the financial burden in these days of hyperinflation.
Moreover, the number of road accidents have increased, like the recent collision between a workers’ bus and a truck which left 16 people injured. Finally, the Western Bypass was not built to cater to a load that it is being subjected to these days, and this means possible problems in the future. There is no winner in the current equation.
The rains have stopped and the water level in Hub River has dropped down enough for the authorities to restart work on the alternative route that had to be stopped as the water level started rising in the river. The NHA must urgently come up with a plan to initiate the repair work on the Hub-Karachi bridge as well to mitigate the woes of the commuters.
BAKHTAWAR RAKHSHANI
HUB
