Disaster looming?
Recent monsoon rains and the damage caused by them provide a grim picture regarding the inability of major cities to cope with even moderate rains. Various localities in Rawalpindi were submerged by recent rains and footage showed water gushing into homes with helpless people wading in deep water. 11 deaths were reported due to roofs and wall’s collapsing and electrocution. The mini-flood like situation in Rawalpindi was created after just 100mm of downpour. The capital city of Islamabad was also at the mercy of rain as various stations of the newly launched metro bus were submerged in water, couples of markets in the capital were also flooded as a result of the rain. Islamabad has one of the best drainage systems in the country, the damage caused by rain in the city points to the fact that most of the new construction done on the metro bus project wasn’t done keeping in mind the weather conditions which is quite strange as it is one of the first things that is considered during urban planning and development.
The situation in Rawalpindi that resulted from a moderate rain is even more worrying with the monsoon season looming when a lot heavier rain spells are expected. The situation is a lot worse in rural areas. More than 50 villages were inundated on Sunday after floodwater eroded the protective dyke of Nullah Dek in Sialkot district. Rural Punjab faced catastrophic damage during last year floods, this year even heavier rains re expected.
The damage caused by rain and floods in Pakistan points to the total lack of planning and water management. The Government needs to come up with comprehensive preventive and disaster control strategies rather then handing cheque’s to the affected people once the damage is done.
The mini-flood like situation in Rawalpindi is any eye opener for the Government heavier rains expected.