The poor inhabitants of katchi abadis (slum areas) are suffering badly from the ongoing monsoon rains as the leaking roofs of their houses deny them the sleep they need at night after working hard jobs during the long summer days.
The pitiable people who live in the slum areas of the posh city of Islamabad can not even enjoy the rain, because they constantly fear that their houses would be destroyed by the rainwater. Moreover, as these people cook food in their open courtyards, rains also rob them of their meals.
A resident of a katchi abadi, Riffat Zaffar said, “We can bear the extreme heat of the summer because we don’t have any fears of our homes being damaged, but the rainy season becomes very difficult for us.” She added that this season could be enjoyed only by those who don’t have fear for their food and shelter.According to unofficial data, there are 28 katchi abadis in Islamabad which are inhabited by more than 70,000 people living in sordid conditions. Under the Urban Shelter Programme, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) acknowledged only 10 katchi abadis for the provision of basic facilities as the national policy introduced by the government did not allow it to facilitate the dwellers of katchi abadis set up after March 1985. CDA selected a few katchi abadis’ for relocation to Alipur Farash but residents rejected the idea of relocation due to unreasonable commuting distance between Alipur Farash and their areas of occupation. The commute made the slum residents’ jobs unfeasible.During a visit to the katchi abadi of sector G-7/1, Pakistan Today found it in bad condition after the heavy rains of last two days; the walking paths had been reduced to rivers of mud and the smell of the sewage was overpowering. Water had accumulated in ponds all over the colony. The residents of the katchi abadies were in a state of fear and anxiety and were unwilling to share their grievances because they were disappointed and had no hope for any help from the government. A housewife and mother of seven children, Masooda Bibi said,“My children have not eaten anything since last night because there was no place to cook food and due to the rain, and all the firewood we had is also wet.” Talking about last year, Masooda Bibi said, “We faced the same problems which we face every year during rains, my children could not eat for three days as my husband works on daily wages and because of the rain he could not get any work, leaving us with no money to buy provisions with.”Bibi’s house was consists of one room in which the beds and mattresses were all wet while the roof was leaking in several places. Another resident, Shamim Akhtar said, “Due to heavy rains the kitchen that was built in the corner of our house near the nullah was damaged last year; now it’s very difficult for us to cook food especially when it rains”. The residents of the katchi abadies of Islamabad are afraid that the heavy monsoon rains would bring more destruction for them while the government continues to ignore them.
Life a watery hell for katchi abadi residents
