Once again Pakistan has fallen victim to the elements, and dozens have died in rain-related incidents over the last couple of days. Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir have in parts been lashed by rain continuously for almost two days and the meteorological department has cautioned that more is to follow. This particular storm system has been forecast as lasting till at least tomorrow. The casualty list is expected to rise as a consequence. Once again, as in previous monsoon-related disasters the army has been called by the civil administration which is once again overwhelmed by the magnitude of the flooding and destruction. Crops and livestock, housing and infrastructure such as roads and bridges have all been extensively damaged. The army has asked people to vacate their homes particularly in areas where house construction is poor or very simple and where the risk of roof collapse is highest. Roof collapses have accounted for the majority of deaths thus far.
Lahore has been particularly badly hit, with the Metro bus services being suspended because the roads are flooded. It is reported that the majority of underpasses in the city are flooded and the canal is bursting at the seams. Beneath this there lies a story — and it is one of failure yet again on the part of the city and provincial administration. In the recent past the city Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and the Lahore Development Authority have written in detail to the office of the chief executive of the province requesting funding for the rehabilitation and expansion of the city sanitation system as well as upgrading the underground drainage system. But to no avail, and schemes such as the Metro bus project — which was completed in just 11 months — were pushed ahead at the expense of properly maintaining the essential water and waste management infrastructure, which is not as attractive vote-wise as is the Metro bus system.
A high-level team was sent to Istanbul last year to see what lessons could be learned from the Istanbul water and sanitation system. Experts from Turkey reciprocated and came to Lahore. Wasa sent detailed maps, data and drawings to its Turkish counterparts making suggestions as to how to improve the system. A range of recommendations emerged from this consultative process which included the construction of new nullahs, the separation of sewage and rainwater run-off and the installation of water treatment plants to convert the waste into water suitable for irrigation. It was also recommended that there be a campaign to raise public awareness as to the best way to dispose of waste and rubbish.
Little has come of considerable effort. Few if any of the recommendations have been taken up let alone acted upon. The government has prepared a Rs9.2 billion plan for the rehabilitation of the Lahore city drainage system in its entirety, but there appears to have been no move to implement the plan in whole or part. The government has also established the Lahore Water and Sanitation Company, but it is dormant.
The situation in Lahore is probably mirrored to a greater or lesser degree in cities across the country, where the neglect of infrastructure and investment in prestige projects such as motorways, flyovers and underpasses and Metro bus systems, are in direct competition for scarce resources. What use is a Metro bus system if the roads beneath it and the feeder roads are flooded and impassable? For flood-hit rural areas there is little remedy beyond appealing to people to build safer houses — but if you are poor you build what you can afford and if that is mud-and-straw then so be it. More will die and lose their livelihoods before the end of the 2014 monsoon, most needlessly, and ‘building back better’ is not an option for most.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (10)
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Lets not blame everything on lack of infrastructure investment. Having lived in Lahore many years ago, the situation was similar then. Problem is the most gutters and sewers are clogged with rubbish including plastic bags (shoppers) thrown by inconsiderate people. Result is that as soon as there is a little rain, you get flooding. And its not just rain water on the streets, its raw sewage. And I recall seeing kids playing around in that water !
picture is worth 1000 words. Some of the words come to mind are: corruption, nepotism, no accountability, kingdom, bribes, no preplanning, impotent governance, fraudulent election, hypocrisy, exploitation of uneducated masses and etc....
So nothing has changed in Lahore since I was studying there in 1989.
shame on govt, its good those poor people marched into Islamabad or else they be drowned like rest.
The whole of my life I have seen seeing Punjab and Lahore being given special treatment and described as the role model for the rest of Pakistan. But whenever there is rain, Lahore becomes a pool of dirty water. Sharif family has been ruling Punjab for almost 30 years, but situation raises serious question about their vision, abilities and the reasons for supporting this family by their voters.
Sad indeed. May be the leaders of naya Pakistan should move to helping people instead of talking big in secure Islamabad.
The photograph above clearly illustrates lack of drains or blocked drains and inadequate drainage canals. In the subcontinent most such problems are due to lack of planning, encroachment of drainage canals and our tendency to throw garbage into the drains.
A few Indian cities, notably Mumbai, have the same problem year after year. Other Indian cities engage in a war footing before the rains to clear debris from drains and tear down encroachments on drainage canals.
What surprises me with the above report is why the Punjab government has engaged with Turkey of all countries. Turkey is a relatively dry country and what most places there receive as precipitation in an entire month is received by Lahore in a single day. Also I wonder with the penchant of Pakistan to frequently consult those abroad whether they have any indigenous capabilities at all.
@ HAMZA ....Lahore finishes as you cross Ravi river after that is rest of Punjab and things never get done in rest of Punjab as i live in rest of Punjab just outside Lahore.
Shahbaz where are you? This is unacceptable. Hamza is you there? They need help. Badly. Maryam where is youse? At Raiwind Palace? Youse should all be out in the streets. Helping people.
The difference is that things get done in Punjab. Despite the rainfall and turmoil, you will see a move to fix the underlying sewage and water problem. Not everything can be fixed as quickly as you would like. The fact that a team from the Istanbul Water and Sanitation authority visited Lahore and is working with local officials shows that it is a matter of time before these issues will be resolved. There is even a plan in place which has a budget allocated. Can you say the same for other provinces?