Menace of stray dogs is disturbing for Karachi, yet there is no action taken against it. Pack of dogs roam the streets freely and they have made lives of people miserable as they follow pedestrians and it is frightening for young kids who go to school in the morning by walk. It is also difficult to carry stuff such as meat, chicken or food from shops to home as dogs follow and bark at you.
Municipal Corporation has stopped taking action against stray dogs and no campaign has taken place for quite long and this is the reason behind increasing population of stray dogs. Poisonous chemical for the eradication of stray dogs is not available to Municipal Corporation as it is expensive and therefore they cannot take any action.
There have also been dogs biting incidents in areas where poor people cannot provide them with food. Dog bite is fatal if proper vaccination is not provided to the victim. Last year 18,000 dog bite cases were reported but government did not establish vaccination centers for it on district level.
Mayor Karachi has also asked Sindh government for help in elimination of stray dogs and provision of vaccination of rabies which is only available at three major government hospitals of Karachi. He also said that, “Garbage and poor sanitation is reason behind increasing number of dogs”.
Local Government, Sindh has held dialogues on developing sites for dogs at landfill sites. It has been months since dialogues but there is no progress in this regard. Before the campaign starts one need to dig deep sites at landfill sites, if this does not happen then old strategy of catching dogs and transferring them to site will be used which is conventional and old.
Residents of Karachi seek peace of mind and assistance from Government and Municipal Corporation in elimination of this mess. It is estimated that there are 500 dogs per 10,000 people in an area which is dreadful and therefore authorities should look into the matter.
