Written by : Kashif Shamim Siddiqui
Karachi is home to thousands of shelter-less people who live under bridges, along footpaths, on open grounds, beside railway tracks, and in makeshift clusters across the city. They are a largely invisible population, uncounted in official records and absent from government planning.
After the recent heavy rains, these people seem to have disappeared from their usual locations. Nobody knows where they are—whether they were displaced, injured, or lost their lives in the floods. Their invisibility highlights a silent humanitarian crisis that unfolds every monsoon but rarely makes it to the forefront of response efforts.
The rains that battered Karachi in August and September 2025 overwhelmed drainage systems, flooded roads, and paralyzed transport. While middle-class families retreated indoors and formal settlements mobilized their resources, the shelter-less had nowhere to go. For those sleeping under bridges, near storm drains, or in open grounds, the rising waters posed a deadly threat.
Drowning, electrocution, collapse of weak structures, and exposure to contaminated floodwaters were immediate risks. The lack of shelters meant many had to move hastily, abandoning their few belongings. In the chaos, entire clusters of people vanished, their whereabouts unknown. Hospitals may have received some of them, but without proper documentation or identification, their stories remain untold.
This absence of data is at the heart of the problem. Karachi has no street-level registry or mapping of its homeless population. Disaster response mechanisms—whether through the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, NDMA, or municipal bodies—focus primarily on households in flood-prone areas. Those living on the margins, without roofs or addresses, fall through the cracks. Civil society organizations like Edhi, Alkhidmat, and Saylani provide emergency relief, but their reach is limited, and during citywide disasters the demand always exceeds their capacity. The government has contingency plans for floods, but there are no dedicated standard operating procedures for rescuing and sheltering people who live outdoors.
The immediate need is for the government to set up a dedicated tracing and registration cell for shelter-less populations during disasters. Mobile outreach teams, supported by NGOs and rescue services, should be deployed to visit known clusters at dawn and dusk, offering first aid and transport to safe shelters. Temporary camps must be opened in schools and community centers, equipped with basic WASH services, food, bedding, and safe spaces for women and families. A single helpline number, supported by radio and social media messaging in local languages, could help displaced people find assistance and allow citizens to report missing persons.
Civil society also has a crucial role. NGOs and community-based organizations can run mobile medical and WASH camps, distribute food and blankets, and provide psychosocial support. They can work with local volunteers to identify vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, who need extra protection. A shared data system would allow NGOs to feed information into government systems, ensuring coordination and reducing duplication of effort.
In the medium term, Karachi needs to map and survey its shelter-less communities. The Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority, along with municipal bodies and civil society, can identify informal settlements, bridge clusters, and open-ground encampments.
With this data, authorities can prepare tailored evacuation and relief plans before each monsoon. More permanent shelters, or “pannah gahs,” should be established across the city, offering not only beds and food but also access to hygiene facilities and healthcare.
In the long run, Karachi cannot ignore its housing crisis. Affordable housing programs, regularisation of katchi abadis, and investment in urban drainage infrastructure are essential. Without this, every year will bring the same tragedy: rains that wash away the most vulnerable, leaving no trace.
The shelter-less are citizens too, and their safety is the collective responsibility of the government, civil society, and all of us who share the city.
