Life came to standstill after heavy rain spell

Demonstrations held to condemn the district govt's failure to ensure timely draining of rain water

MULTAN: Routine life was paralysed in Multan for several hours after a spell of monsoon rain on Monday. The rain started at 1230pm and continued for nearly two hours.

A Meteorology Department official said the precipitation was recorded at 32mm.

Several demonstrations were held in low-lying areas to condemn the district government for its failure to ensure timely draining of rain water. They chanted slogans against the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA).

Munir Ahmad, one of the protestors, said that every year the government made tall claims that it was ready to tackle any situation in the monsoon season. However, the first spell of monsoon rain was sufficient to prove the government wrong, he said. Ahmad said the government needed to come up with a mega-project to revamp the city’s drainage infrastructure.

Hanif Ashfaq, another protestor, said the government officials should spend money on provision of municipal services including a functional drainage system. “There is no use of mega projects if basic facilities remain missing,” he said.  Traffic movement remained slow on major roads inundated with rain water. Traffic jams were reported from Hazoori Bagh Road, Nishtar Hospital Road, at Kalma Chowk, MDA Chowk, Bypass Chowk, Pul Barraran and in Gulgasht and Peer Khursheed Colony. The boundary wall of Hassan Parvana graveyard caved in from the heavy rain.  DCO Nadir Chattha said he had visited several low lying areas and monitored efforts to drain rain water. He said he was accompanied by the WASA director. Scores of people gathered at the scene and conveyed their complaints to him about poor sewerage system. He assured the citizens that their problem would be resolved soon. He told them that installation of new sewerage pipes and upgrade of disposal stations was underway with a special grant provided by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.  The DCO said officials concerned had been asked to supply machinery needed to drain rain from Husain Agahi, Shaheen Market and Mumtazabad areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2016.