City Landmarks – The water trough near Dow Medical College

Diwan Dayaram Chellaram Mirchandani was city surveyor in Karachi and he passed away in 1927. He was survived by his wife ‘Shrimati Apliba’. How do we know it? Because Shrimati Apliba erected a water trough in memory of her late husband. It was a common practice to construct institutions or buildings of public welfare and convenience in memory of loved ones. Those values and institutions laid the foundation of a great city which still benefits from the legacy of its former residents.

Dow Medical students restored the trough in 1995 after it became a garbage dump. A plaque commemorate the kind deed, does not bear any names and simply states, “In continuation of the spirit of Apliba Mirchandani this water trough was repaired and restored by Dow graduates in 1995”.

After partition these water troughs were maintained by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and over time became defunct due to lack of maintenance. Even after the restoration of the water trough in discussion, there is no water connection meaning that it is nothing more than a monument.