After the recent spells of heavy rains, rainwater mixed with gutter water is still standing on many streets and roads of Karachi. In the wake of the rains city residents also suffered prolonged power outages, in some cases for as long as 60 hours. And then it got worse.

Now there are swarms of flies in the city because of uncleared garbage. The city is littered with heaps of garbage. During the day there are swarms of flies and at night we are being tormented by swarms of mosquitoes. People are not getting a sufficient amount of sleep because of mosquitoes. These insects are causing malaria and dengue.

Flies are in homes, in eateries, in parks, everywhere. We all know flies and mosquitoes cause many dangerous diseases. But the authorities are blind to our troubles. We have been left to fend for ourselves. We should try to keep our homes and their surroundings clean. We should act collectively to tackle problems. This is what we can do under the present circumstances.

MUHAMMAD RAZA,

Karachi.