KARACHI:
The relentless rainfall this year has brought devastation across Pakistan. Both urban and rural areas of the country have been affected severely. Heavy rainfall triggered urban flooding in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Hyderabad and many other big cities. The downpour, breaking the 30-year average rainfall record, has caused the loss of many precious lives as well as damages to properties and infrastructure. Besides these losses, diseases have also been erupted due to the sewage-mixed stagnant rainwater.
What, under such a situation, can mitigate the effects of the heavy rainfall and urban flooding is the city master plan. Islamabad and Gwadar are the only two cities of Pakistan that are master-planned. A city master plan incorporates many key features of proper drainage and sewage systems. It can identify elevated and surface reservoirs, thereby helping the relevant authorities to absorb heavy rainfall and store rainwater. The stored water can further be utilised for washing and bathing purposes.
Despite spending billions of rupees on development programmes and schemes, rainwater accumulates on roads, freeways and streets after sewage lines get choked. Stagnant water damages roads causing potholes and patches on them, which threatens the lives of motorists. These issues can be resolved aptly if the government pays heed to the matter and take concrete measures by allocating funds for the development of master plans for cities.
Shehryar Kandhro
Larkana
Published in The Express Tribune, August 9th, 2022.
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