KARACHI: Despite a public holiday announced by the Sindh government, Karachi’s working class found themselves braving flooded streets to earn a living. The decision to declare a holiday did little to ease the hardship for many residents of the city, as they had no choice but to go out and work amid heavy rains and widespread urban flooding.
While Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah urged people to stay indoors, many residents, particularly daily wage workers, had no option but to venture out to sustain their families. In the city’s financial hub, II Chundrigar Road, several government offices remained open, forcing employees to report for duty despite waterlogged streets. The lack of coordination between the federal and provincial governments only added to the confusion, as many federal offices did not observe the holiday.
For workers like bike mechanics and laborers, leaving home was not an act of defiance but a matter of survival. “I am a bike mechanic. I am out here because I have to earn my bread and butter,” said one mechanic, who had set up a makeshift repair shop on a footpath. “People must be out for work and labour. I, being a mechanic, try to help them and start their bikes.”
A young man trudging through the floodwaters summed it up simply: “People have gone to their respective places for earning money, food, what else?”
Despite warnings of even heavier rains on Wednesday, many were compelled to continue working, even though Tuesday’s downpours had already brought Karachi to a standstill, leaving people stranded on roads for hours. For daily wage workers, the prospect of staying home was not an option. “I am a labourer. Obviously, I can earn only if I work. I can’t get things while sitting at home — I’m not rich,” one worker explained. Another man shared his frustration with the federal government’s lack of consideration: “When the federal government announces, only then we get off.”
For most people, the risk of venturing into flooded streets was outweighed by the urgent need to feed their families. The death toll from rain-related incidents in Karachi had risen to 17 as intermittent downpours continued to batter the city, and further heavy rains were predicted.
