KARACHI: An engineer who travels frequently between Karachi and Hyderabad uses the Lyari Expressway that runs along the Lyari River. But as anyone will tell you, the river is usually dry or just has a stream of sewage in it.

In the river bed there are mounds of excavated sand or garbage and islands of overgrowth.

This engineer was waiting this year to see if the Lyari River would reappear. The river is a seasonal one which means that it flows only when it has rained.

The last time the river appeared was in 2020 but then it was just enough water to wash away some of the heaps of garbage.

He saw this year that it was actually flooding and the last time he saw this much water in the Lyari River was 2006. I was waiting, he told Aaj News. The Super Highway was flooding and I was wondering when the water would reach the river.

The point where the Lyari River starts to enter the sea, is however, choked, he noticed. At the last gateway off the Lyari Expressway there are playgrounds, parking grounds and other human activity. This has narrowed the waterway. If there is a flood in the future, then the water will flow backwards and flood surrounding areas. On the right track of the LEW, which goes from Mauripur to Sohrab Goth there is no protective bund, just bridges. So the population living along that side is at risk. As he travelled along this track, he could see cars had been submerged under the bridges.