Recently, I was visited by some relatives from the United States. They wanted me to accompany them to a few well-known tourist resorts in Swat and a few in the northern areas. However, a close friend of mine who had been to these areas a few days ago told me that the roads to the resorts had been washed away after the heavy rainfall, making travel unsafe. My guests returned to the US, without visiting the resorts they had planned to see before reaching Pakistan. Later, I learned through the media that most of the roads all over the country, including Karachi and other big cities, had been badly damaged due to heavy rainfall. One wonders why a proper drainage design is not provided while constructing roads. The reconstruction of roads involves heavy expenditure, damage caused to the vehicles plying on the road, and more traffic accidents. The authorities should take this issue seriously as the revenue loss due to failed roads is exorbitant.
Dr Najeeb A Khan
Islamabad
