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Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab stated that the authorities are obtaining CCTV footage for investigation, which will uncover the real circumstances surrounding the heartbreaking incident that claimed a three-year-old child’s life, who reportedly fell into the open manhole.
During a press conference, the mayor said authorities were examining why essential machinery for rescue work was unavailable and added that the Water Corporation’s managing director had been instructed to conduct a detailed inquiry.
He stated that strict action would be taken against staff members if negligence was confirmed, stressing that the entire chain of events would be reviewed thoroughly to identify those responsible for any failures.
Wahab said it was difficult for him to believe a manhole cover could remain open in front of a busy store, making it crucial to obtain clear video evidence explaining the situation accurately.
According to him, the CCTV footage would reveal how long the manhole cover had been missing and whether drug addicts or other individuals had unlawfully removed it from the location.
The mayor added that Karachi had faced repeated issues with stolen manhole covers, creating dangerous conditions, and insisted that the footage would expose the exact cause of the latest tragedy at Nipa Chowrangi.
He shared that the city’s 3-year-old boy, Ibrahim, who fell into the open manhole near the Nipa Bridge area, was found after an exhausting 15-hour search by rescue teams.
On the other hand, a garbage collector claimed that he found the boy 1 km from the incident site.
Wahab said the Water Corporation had installed nearly 88,000 manhole covers during the past year, with over half placed following complaints from Union Committee chairmen across different parts of Karachi.
He emphasised the need for transparency, saying residents deserved to know the truth, and promised that all details regarding the incident and investigation process would be shared with the public.
The mayor acknowledged the grief caused by the tragedy and said city authorities were working to address long-standing drainage system issues to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
He stressed that no family should suffer such a devastating loss and assured that future safety measures would be strengthened through better monitoring, enforcement and community reporting mechanisms.
