Urban flooding reveals Peshawar BRT design has no drainage system

Traders lose millions as rain floods underground markets in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Businessmen lost millions of rupees worth of merchandise at the underground shopping area set up by the government in the underpass on Arbab Road.

There is no drainage system in the BRT design. People learnt when they were hit by urban flood following rain on Tuesday when all underpasses became water reservoirs.

The underground markets has been inundated after torrential rains have hit the provincial capital, while local tradesmen have shown resentment over flawed design of BRT which have zero flow for rain waters.

The late night torrential rain has hit most parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, while the province capital was as usual victim of urban flooding and most of the underpasses and underground market in Arbab Road, University Town, Ashnaghary, Gulbahar and Haji Camp were flooded with rainwater.

Traders on BRT route areas used pumps to clear water on self-help basis as they helplessly saw their merchandise go waste.

Traffic remained blocked for hours on roads that had turned into raging streams.

Roads next to K-P Assembly Building, Haji Camp, Pir Zakori Bridge and University Road were inundated. Traffic wardens struggled to help people in the urban floods.

Administration officials have pointed out to the government time and again that the BRT design has flaws and no arrangement for the flow of water in case of rain.

Rain damage in districts

At least one person drowned, a woman was killed and five others were seriously injured in rain related incidents.

A Levies official said that a body was recovered from local stream, which seemed that the young person was drowned in the water, as the body has no marks of torture or bullets.

Meanwhile house of Shakir Khan of Shami Khel tribe of the Landi Kotal tehsil caved in after heavy rains hit the Khyber tribal district late on Monday night.

The AC Landi Kotal Muhammad Imran, Line officer Sawalzar Khan Afridi of Khasadar force, along with Levies visited the family and assured them every possible relief, while the injured people were shifted to the Landi Kotal hospital.

Later the DC Khyber tribal district announced Rs400,000 compensation for the affected family.

Commissioner Malakand Riaz Khan Mehsud has directed for alert warning to the all districts administrations as well as the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in wake of the outbreak of the torrential rains and heavy snowfall in entire Malakand Division since Tuesday morning.

In Bannu, one woman was killed and two others were injured when the wall of their earthen home fell on them.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2019.