KARACHI, 9 September 2007 (IRIN) - Saadia Amir looks in exasperation at a roughly dug trench in Karachi that cuts a swathe through the roads in her up-market, seaside residential area to the sea just a few hundred yards away. "In normal circumstances, it would take me just two minutes to drive through these by-lanes and reach my child's school," the young mother said. "Now, I have to go around several blocks and spend almost half an hour driving to get to a point just a couple of minutes away because the city administration hasn't been able to devise a drainage system that'll drain the water out of our neighbourhood," Saadia said. Just over two months ago, almost hurricane-force winds created havoc in Karachi - Pakistan's southern port city, commercial hub and largest city - killing about 200 people, injuring thousands and displacing tens of thousands.
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