- Indifferent civic bodies remain numb to drumbeat of early warnings
Heavy downpour of monsoon wreaked havoc in the federal capital, killing at least four people, including a baby and a teenage girl on Thursday, while causing severe damage to several civic facilities.
Due to the sheer negligence of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and Capital Development Authority (CDA), the rain has taken four lives and the residents of Islamabad were left stranded on flooded roads and streets. Peshawar Mor Interchange’s poorly planned construction led to the flooding of main Kashmir Highway. Commuters faced great problems as traffic remained blocked for around three hours, as the main roads were submerged in knee-deep water.
Talking to this scribe, Abdul Rauf, environment staff – while cleaning Kashmir highway on Peshawar Mor Interchange – claimed that the constructor of Punjab Metro Bus Authority (PMBA), just to save some time and money in completion of Peshawar Mor Interchange, had constructed the way for nullah water beneath flyover with the height of just four feet. He said that the nullah has almost two feet of water in routine, leaving only two feet space for any flood to go through.
Ijaz, another staff member of MCI’s environment directorate, narrated the same story, adding that heavy rainfall caused traffic blocks on the highway and filled it with water and garbage. He said that the environment staff reached the scene at 7 am and began cleaning the highway and sucking water through pumps. He added that trees were moved aside by cranes and it took almost three hours to clean the way for the public. Between 7am-10am, three cars met with an accident.
Due to heavy rains in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the maximum water level in Nullah Lai had reached 19.36ft at Katarian and 16.86ft at Gawalmandi. Vulnerable areas were on high alert; including Nullah Lai, Zeropoint – 103 mm, Shamsabad – 97 mm, Saidpur – 76 mm, Airport – 70 mm, Golra – 52 mm and Bokra – 35 mm.
The wall of one house collapsed because of heavy rainfall, due to which a neighbour’s family, sleeping in tents next to the house, fell victim to the collapse. Husband-wife, Imran-Nasreen and their eight-year-old daughter died on the spot. Similarly, water broke into the basement of a house, killing a 24-year girl, Maryam. Other family members were rescued.
CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz, when contacted, said that all possible steps were taken on time to rescue the affected places and MCI staff is still working on the citizens’ complaints.
Monsoon’s first shower caused flash floods in twin cities, exposing the inability of civic bodies to tackle with the catastrophe even after being warned about the choked nullahs- filled with filth and garbage. However, capital authorities remained numb to the drumbeat of early warnings by the relevant departments.
Authorities concerned seem to have learnt no lesson from last year’s monsoon, when rain and flash floods wreaked havoc in the federal capital. Even a child in Iqbal Town area drowned where floodwater was three to four feet deep.
“I have been living in sector G-12 for the past 10 years. Water makes its way to our streets and homes every year in the monsoon while dilapidated roads make it harder to travel in rain. I request the authorities to take necessary steps,” said Imran Abbas Shahid, a resident of Islamabad.
While speaking to Pakistan Today, CDA spokesman Mazhar Hussain said that on Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz’s directions, the MCI’s environment directorate acted promptly and reached the venue at Peshawar Mor where the road was open for public after three-hours of cleanliness.
