The Leh nullah which carries rainwater remains a permanent woe for the residents of Rawalpindi. It starts from the Katarian village, crosses through the city and ends into the river Sawan at the end of the city. Before the creation of Pakistan, the population of the city was low and the Leh nullah could carry rainwater safely without causing any issues. However, with the passage of time, the problem started compounding by the year.
After the partition, a massive urbanisation event resulted in the overpopulation of cities and consequently added extra burden on the nullah, which has caused it to flood time and again, ever since. Furthermore, to make things worse, the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (1979 to 1987) laid down sewer lines throughout the city that all ended into the Leh nullah causing sewage water to be thrown into the rainwater channel without any treatment. This not only polluted the river Sawan, but also put an additional load on a channel meant for rainwater resulting in floods during the monsoons. The worst part is that because the nullah was not for the purpose of sewerage, when it floods, the water in the city sewers overflows. This contaminates drinking water and spreads the filth of sewers all over the city becoming a huge source of disease and causing immense distress to the residents.
Many governments in the past have promised to resolve this problem but nothing has been done till now. I urge the current government to come up with a plan to address this problem before a massive tragedy occurs.
Raja Shafaatullah
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2020.
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