A creative solution by a Karachi resident has gone viral, a man was seen riding his motorcycle through flooded streets with a long white pipe attached to his exhaust (silencer).
The idea was simple but clever: by extending the exhaust pipe upward, water cannot enter the engine during flooding, which is a common cause of motorcycle breakdowns during heavy rain.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and the capital of Sindh province, suffers from urban flooding every year, causing deaths from drowning and electrocution. Experts have long criticized authorities for failing to properly maintain the city’s drainage infrastructure.
During one severe rain event in February 2024, over 700 electricity feeders tripped across the city, plunging entire neighbourhoods into darkness, while roads were completely submerged in water.
During rain events, hundreds of motorcycles break down due to flooding, along with cars stalling on major roads. For many ordinary citizens who depend on motorcycles for daily transportation and livelihood, a stalled bike means a lost day’s income.
This citizen’s pipe-on-the-silencer trick became a symbol of Pakistani jugaar, the local word for an ingenious, low-cost fix to a big problem. While the image is funny, it also points to a serious issue: Karachi’s flood infrastructure has failed its residents for decades.
Until the government builds proper drainage systems, citizens will keep finding their own creative ways to survive the rain.
