Leh water level rings alarm bells

In the wake of heavy rainfall, the water level in Nullah Leh surged to an alarming nine feet, leading to widespread flooding in low-lying residential areas in Rawalpindi.

According to sources, the civic agency cleared waterlogged main roads, bridges, and intersections using advanced machinery despite the relentless downpour. However, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) failed to initiate any water extraction operation in the affected areas, they said.

The rain persisted for approximately three hours on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with a recorded rainfall of up to 50mm in the twin cities. During brief breaks in the rainfall, WASA teams deployed machines to drain water from the inundated low-lying areas. Notably, the water level rose as high as three feet from Marrir Chowk to Chandni Chowk on Murree Road, leaving vast section of the main thoroughfare submerged. Streets in Dhok Kala Khan, Nadeem Colony, Javed Colony, Shakrial, and Sadiqabad were also severely affected. Mukha Singh Estate, Hazara Colony, and Cantt areas experienced substantial flooding as well.

Misrial Road bore the brunt of heavy rain as the sewage system faltered, resulting in flooded streets due to a mix of rainwater and drain water.

The relentless rainfall prompted WASA MD Muhammad Tanveer and his teams to engage in extensive fieldwork.

The teams tirelessly employed sucker machines at multiple locations, including Liaquat Bagh Chowk and Committee Chowk Underpass, to extract water.

Due to the inadequate drainage system, major roads such as Jamia Masjid Road, Circular Road, Raja Bazar, Kashmiri Bazar, and Sadiqabad, along with streets and roads in Satellite Town, transformed into canals. However, once the rain subsided, normalcy gradually returned as water receded from the inundated low-lying areas.

The accumulation of water in low-lying areas along Murree Road and Old Airport Road disrupted traffic flow, causing inconvenience to commuters. Despite areas like Allama Iqbal Colony, Tench Bhatta, RA Bazar, and Dhok Syedan Road remaining submerged in water within the Cantt vicinity, no efforts were made by the cantonment board to alleviate the situation. Citizens said authorities concerned must remain vigilant in ensuring effective draining to mitigate future incidents of flooding caused by heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, Rescue-1122 has been put on high alert to cope with possible emergencies. According to a Rescue-1122 spokesperson, the rescuers deployed in low-lying areas particularly in Katarian, Gawalmandi, Sowan and other areas would remain on high alert round the clock to provide timely emergency response, medical treatment and transportation facilities to likely flood victims. Officials also requested people not to stand on the banks in low-lying areas along Nullah Leh during flood and follow instructions given by the flood control room.

According to a district administration spokesperson, Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has directed the authorities concerned to complete dredging of Nullah Leh before Monsoon rains. He quoted the high official as saying that small drains should also be cleaned so that water in the main drain during monsoon rains could flow smoothly. Meanwhile, a WASA spokesperson said that the civic body had launched a special campaign to clean sewerage lines using modern machines. Special arrangements had been made following Meteorological Department's warning of above normal rains during monsoon, he said.

The spokesperson said Rawalpindi commissioner and deputy commissioner during a visit to Fuji Colony inspected the ongoing cleaning of sewerage lines.

With additional input from APP

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2023.