Street 22 and 23اسٹریٹ ۲۲ اور ۲۳

Some five or six years ago, DHA started building houses near Qayyumabad, as the two areas share a boundary. There is a pathway outside everyone’s house that leads to the main road. Due to heavy rains, the area got flooded, and even the sea level rose and started overflowing. The naalas (stormwater drains) became inundated, and water started flowing from everywhere.

People noticed that the water was still there even after two days. There was a lot of water in the streets and on the main road. So someone dug a hole near the stormwater drain so that the water could move more easily. But the situation became worse, and nobody—not the DHA authorities nor the people of Qayyumabad—did anything to fix the area where the hole was dug. Only two slabs are remaining now.

You can come and take a picture of this. There is just a narrow space left where people on motorcycles can pass, but even that is difficult because they fear falling into the sinkhole. Often, people who are unfamiliar with the street fall into it, leading to head or leg injuries. There have been many accidents because of this, but still no action has been taken.

We used to bring firewood from the jungle, set up a tandoor (brick oven), and bake rotis. We have faced many problems here, yet even now, nothing has been resolved. We do not receive proper water or gas supply, but we still have to pay a Rs. 5000 bill for it. My son goes twice a day to arrange gas. In the early days of Qayyumabad, although there were many difficulties, life still felt peaceful. Now, life feels filled with sadness. There is often not enough to eat or drink properly. Earlier, there were many people who looked after one another’s well-being, and that sense of community has been lost. Even if you were not related to someone, you would still share meals with them and there was love and respect. Now, even family members treat each other like strangers.