KARACHI:
As Pakistan stands on the brink of another monsoon season, an important question demands attention: are we prepared for the floods that often accompany it? For the residents of Abbottabad, this concern is particularly urgent.
Abbottabad has increasingly become vulnerable to urban flooding. The city’s rapid expansion, growing population and worsening traffic congestion have put immense pressure on its already strained infrastructure. During heavy rainfall, water accumulates on roads within minutes, turning major arteries into streams and disrupting daily life. Areas that experience severe traffic congestion often become impassable as rainwater mixes with poor drainage, creating dangerous conditions for motorists and pedestrians alike.
The city is naturally prone to flash flooding due to its hilly terrain and network of seasonal streams and nullahs. When intense rainfall occurs, water rushes down from surrounding hills with great force. If drainage channels are blocked, narrowed, or unable to cope with the volume of water, flooding becomes inevitable. Even a few hours of rain can overwhelm the system.
Despite these known risks, many residents remain uncertain about what preventive measures have been taken ahead of the monsoon. Have the nullahs been widened and cleared? Have encroachments on waterways been removed? Has the drainage network been upgraded to accommodate increasing urbanisation? These are questions that deserve clear practical answers.
The concern extends beyond Abbottabad. Pakistan has not yet experienced the full force of this year’s monsoon spell, but climate experts continue to warn of increasingly intense and unpredictable rainfall patterns. The devastating floods of recent years demonstrated the enormous human and economic cost of inadequate preparation.
Preparedness cannot begin when floodwaters enter homes and streets. It begins months earlier through planning, infrastructure improvements, maintenance of drainage systems and transparent communication with the public. As dark clouds gather over Abbottabad and across Pakistan, citizens can only hope that the lessons of previous disasters have not been forgotten. The monsoon is approaching. The question remains: are we truly ready for it?
Jawaria Shah
Abbottabad
