BILAL KANJAL
The chocked nullahs of capital are posing a serious threat to the residents of Islamabad. The heavy resistance in the flow of these nullahs pose calamitous consequences as the CDA has badly fail to protect once aesthetic water streams.
Residents of Bari Imam in particular are facing health problems these days owing to rains, as they have to face not only repelling sight and smell of garbage dumps but also have hurdles in smooth flow of rainwater through nullahs.
The residents, living just off the corridors of power, attribute their dilemma to the apathy of the concerned authorities, which are reluctant to take responsibility. Amir Ali Ahmed, a resident of Bari Imam, said that the garbage not only spreads bad smell but nullahs have become a big problem in monsoon as most of the nullahs are dumped with litter, thus making it well-nigh impossible for the rainwater to pass through.
Another resident of slum at Bari Imam recalled that once these nullahs contained so pure and clean waters that people would often jump into them in times of hot summer. The nullahs are now stuffed with garbage and litter. He said that Capital Development Authority (CDA) should clean these nullahs to avoid environmental and health problems during monsoon.
Talking to this scribe, a medical practitioner, Dr Muzafar of PIMS said that there are several factors regarding drainage lines in Islamabad physical as well as psychological. Several water borne diseases terrorizing our population include malaria, dengue, dysentery cholera worm infestation. Besides these diseases poor hygiene environmental hazards water intoxication respiratory diseases can occur secondary to air borne infection and air pollution, he added
According to one of the capital citizens Ayaz Sadiq, “Turkish companies can do work for the smooth flow of streams but why can’t ours?” When it rains these nullahs start blast and pose bad effect at environment. Another citizen Shahbaz Khan said, “If rangers can jump into the nullahs why can’t a CDA worker?” When CDA workers don’t pick up the garbage people throw this garbage into these streams which creates problems in the flow of water, he added.
So for the purpose to keep smooth flow of water protective measures should be taken when rain and resistance of garbage cause level increase in these streams. In the area of Bhara Kahu the condition is even worse.
When contacted Mazhar Hussain, CDA spokesperson, he denied the fact that nullahs are in position of posing threats. ‘The TMA workers are properly working and sometime there may be a chance for the people to throw garbage in nullahs,’ he added.
