Pollution, shortages, crime: Daily life in Pakistan's megacity Karachi

Karachi residents took to the streets because electricity outages had made daily life extremely difficult. Their protest focused on hours of power cuts, but it also reflected frustration with broader service failures. The city has again been ranked among the world’s least liveable cities.

In some neighbourhoods, electricity can be unavailable for up to 19 hours a day. Residents responded by blocking several major roads, turning a private hardship into a highly visible public protest. The disruption showed how shortages can affect both households and the movement of an entire city.

The demonstrations highlight pressure on Karachi’s infrastructure. The city receives only about 55 percent of the water it needs and produces nearly 15,000 tonnes of waste daily. Unless services keep pace with growth, anger over electricity may continue to connect with complaints about water, traffic, crime and waste.

A megacity is generally understood as a very large urban area with at least 10 million residents. The label matters because size creates enormous demands for electricity, water, transport, waste collection and public safety. Managing these systems becomes harder when growth is rapid.

Karachi is described as a megacity because it has more than 21 million people. It is Pakistan’s economic hub and contains a large share of the country’s businesses, jobs and wealth. This makes its services important far beyond the city itself.

Its scale also helps explain the gap between economic importance and daily experience. Karachi faces severe traffic congestion, inadequate public transport, crime and shortages of basic services. Its infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with growth, helping explain why the city ranks 170th among 173 cities in the 2026 Global Liveability Index.

Karachi is a city of more than 21 million people. Its huge population creates demand for reliable water, electricity and waste collection. The figures in the article show that these systems are not meeting the city’s needs, despite Karachi’s importance to Pakistan’s economy.

Water supply covers only around 55 percent of what the city requires. In some neighbourhoods, power cuts last up to 19 hours a day. Karachi also produces nearly 15,000 tonnes of waste daily, and almost one-quarter of that waste never reaches landfill sites.

These shortages are severe because they affect essential services at the scale of a megacity. Residents face unreliable utilities and unsanitary surroundings, while the city struggles with congestion and inadequate transport. The continuing gap between demand and supply shows why infrastructure must expand as Karachi grows.

When essential services fail together, daily life becomes harder and less predictable. Power cuts can interrupt household routines and business operations. Heavy traffic wastes time and complicates travel, while uncollected waste makes streets dirtier. These problems matter because Karachi is home to more than 21 million people.

The article gives a clear picture of the pressure. Some neighbourhoods face power cuts of up to 19 hours a day. Traffic congestion is described as crippling. Karachi generates nearly 15,000 tonnes of waste daily, yet almost one-quarter does not reach landfill sites. Together, these failures reduce the reliability of urban life.

Businesses may struggle when electricity and transport are unreliable, while residents face delays and poor surroundings. Uncollected waste can create public-health risks, although the article does not report specific illnesses or measurements. Unless infrastructure catches up with growth, these pressures may continue to damage liveability and economic activity.

A city can be economically powerful and still be difficult to live in. Karachi contains a large share of Pakistan’s businesses, jobs and wealth, making it the country’s economic powerhouse. But liveability depends on everyday services, not only on economic output.

Karachi illustrates this contrast sharply. The city has more than 21 million residents, yet receives only around 55 percent of the water it needs. Some areas experience power cuts of up to 19 hours daily. Residents also face crippling traffic, inadequate public transport, crime and waste collection problems.

The result is a major gap between Karachi’s national economic role and residents’ daily experience. The Economist Intelligence Unit ranks it 170th out of 173 cities in its 2026 Global Liveability Index. Recent urban development projects have not stopped infrastructure from falling behind rapid growth, so economic importance alone has not secured liveable conditions.

The source describes service failures but does not identify the institutions responsible for each system. In general, Karachi’s electricity provider is K-Electric. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board manages the city’s water and sewerage services. These bodies are central to the shortages described.

Public transport involves provincial and city authorities, including the Sindh Mass Transit Authority and local government bodies, while transport operators run individual services. Waste management is handled through public authorities including the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and local municipal bodies. Responsibilities can overlap across government levels.

This division matters because Karachi’s problems are interconnected. Electricity, water, transport and waste each require planning, funding and coordination. The article reports that infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with rapid growth, but it does not assign blame or describe specific institutional plans. Better coordination would be important, though the source gives no confirmed remedy.

Urban infrastructure means the networks and facilities that support city life. It includes roads, public transport, electricity, water supply, drainage and waste collection. These systems matter because residents and businesses depend on them every day. Weak infrastructure can make a city unsafe, slow and difficult to live in.

Rapid population growth increases demand across all these systems at once. Karachi has more than 21 million people, receives only around 55 percent of its required water and generates nearly 15,000 tonnes of waste daily. Some neighbourhoods also face power cuts lasting up to 19 hours. These figures show how demand can overwhelm capacity.

Karachi has seen several major urban development projects, but the article says infrastructure still struggles to keep pace with rapid growth. If expansion remains slower than demand, shortages and congestion may persist. The city’s economic importance makes this gap especially significant for residents, businesses and Pakistan more broadly.