Islamabad fast losing its natural beauty

Construction along greenbelts, influx of population and traffic issues proving catastrophic for capital city

ISLAMABAD:

Once known for its serene evenings, pleasant weather and smooth traffic flow, the federal capital is fast losing its beauty and tranquillity. Islamabad, encapsulated by nature, enviable forestry and wildflower beds, is rapidly losing its natural beauty and prized greenery. The principal reasons are massive construction in the name of expansion of road infrastructure, poor management, and ill-planned development on the part of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). The increasing population and the rising density of vehicular traffic takes a heavy toll on the overall environment with each passing day.

Owing to the construction of new buildings along the greenbelts — after former prime minister Imran Khan allowed vertical construction — population and traffic issues are deteriorating, creating a catastrophic situation for the existing infrastructure and the provision of civic services including the supply of water to the residents of the new skyscrapers.

Islamabad has already been facing severe water scarcity and with the construction of these new buildings, and population influx is putting a heavy burden on the existing civic services including the provision of security. “Almost five years back, it used to take me 15 minutes to reach my home at Pakistan Town from main capital city. But, now traffic congestion spoils more than an hour during peak time,” said Rashid Mahmood, a citizen. “I fear colliding with other vehicles, especially the bike riders who do not care about speed and proper lane change,” he said.

With its population reaching almost 2.5 million people and the number of registered vehicles crossing 1.3 million, the road infrastructure of the city is fast shrinking. Unruly driving is very common with a skeletal number of traffic wardens deputed to penalise the violators. Law-abiding and sane commuters are usually under threat of accidents due to over-speeding, frequent lane changes, wrong overtaking, and zig-zagging by ruthless bikers. Recent years have seen it further worsen, as the previous government, despite its tall claims of reformation, could not streamline traffic flow on Islamabad Expressway. Psychiatrists also see this phenomenon as one of the major causes behind rising trends of intolerance, unruly behaviours and roadside brawls.

The situation is also worrisome in terms of parking space at all business points of the capital, especially at busy points like Blue Area, Jinnah Super, and all other markets in the G and F sectors. Main arteries like Expressway, Srinagar Highway, IJP, Margalla, Murree, and Nazimuddin road are also most often choked.

The Islamabad Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office claims that 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles are registered every month, while the number of traffic wardens remains the same. “We have serious manpower issue as present traffic staff is quite insufficient to control and streamline traffic,” a DC official said requesting anonymity. “It is not only a governance or law enforcing issue, but it also relates to policy decisions,” he said. There are 700 police officers on traffic duty against the needed strength of an additional 3,000 to regulate traffic, he added.

“One can easily compare ten years back human and vehicular population with the present day,” remarked a traffic police official. “How can the same strength of staffers perform outstandingly when human and vehicle populace has doubled?”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2022.