Karachi: DHA roads under spotlight Ditches

[Naveed Yaseen]

It is unavoidable that one comes across potholes and ditches in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) these days. Many of these large holes are often right in the centre of a road, and pose great danger to vehicles and pedestrians, especially in the dark.

A large ditch in DHA Phase VIII cuts across the road. This not only makes the flow of traffic narrower, but can also be fatal for unsuspecting pedestrians. The ditch is placed at the opening of a sharp divider, making it even more dangerous and accident-prone. To top it off, the ditch is deep and wide enough for a car to fall in. This area is not very populated and few houses can be seen around it. In case of any accident, there would be no help available in this semi-deserted area.

There is also an absence of traffic lights and signs which make these potholes and ditches an even greater hazard, but this should not come as a shock, as the same condition prevails at several other locations with ditches. Construction workers are currently working on the same road that the ditch is on; however, it did not occur to authorities to invest in markings or warnings, let alone filling up the ditch.

The ditches and this one in particular, are a disaster waiting to happen. Ironically though, DHA is claimed to be among Karachis most developed and elite areas, where proper planning is done especially in the construction of roads. If this is the condition of DHA, one can only imagine how the other areas must be. —Rabail Habib

The Roads of DHA

The poor condition of the roads in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) is leading to an increase in the number of cases of vehicles getting stuck on the street for long periods of time.

Shahzad, a school van driver in Defence, said: “My van got stuck in a dug-up drain of a narrow lane and my van’s brakes stopped working. The children reached school late and my van now has to be repaired.”

This is not an isolated case. Nearly all residents of the area face a similar conundrum due to the various ditches and drains that affect the free flow of traffic and delays people’s arrival at their work place. All around DHA, narrow lanes have been dug open and these dangerous ditches are exposed at night, without the presence of any street lights or warnings for vehicles which pass-by. These ineffective roads continue to cause inconvenience and problems to the public and this issue needs to be addressed immediately. —Fatima Munir

Condition of roads

The recent construction of storm water drainages in Defence has inconvenienced many residents of DHA. Roads have been blocked because of the construction materials being put alongside pavements, causing congestion and traffic jams, especially during school hours.

There are also no indicators or traffic signs warning drivers of the obstruction that lay ahead, which leads to accidents, which sometimes could turn out fatal, especially when speeding.

In some areas, lack of streetlights also causes these accidents. It is therefore the Governments responsibility to clear the roads from this menace, so that they may be safer and more convenient to drive on. —Moebin Khurram Hafeez

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=165693