City ill-prepared for above normal rain

Emergency camps house archaic tools

LAHORE:

The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has instructed the district administrations, Water and Sanitation Agencies (WASA) and other institutions across the province to make arrangements for coping with 35 per cent more rains forecast for the monsoon season than the previous years.

The relevant departments are gearing up to fulfil their responsibilities during the season but the Lahore district administration and WASA area facing a shortage of resources, including staff and modern equipment, to adequately cope with the monsoon rains.

According to a resident of the provincial capital, it has been observed that rainfall exceeding even three millimetres causes problems for the citizens in areas across the city.

Sources in WASA said that despite the passage of more than 15 years since the organosation had been set up, it had been unable to purchase the required equipment because of budget deficit faced routinely. The agency’s salaries and other expenses are funded through government aid.

The source said WASA had collected a significant amount from consumers during the past year through recovery of dues and increases in the tariff, but the expenditures had also increased.

There are six major drains in Lahore, extending for about 1,200 kilometres.

The Shalimar Canal, Upper Mall, Chota Ravi, Cantt, Satukatla and Shahdara drains pass through different areas of the city and reach the Ravi river. There are also some open drains in other areas.

All the drains are cleaned and desilted by WASA twice a year so that rainwater and sewage can flow out easily during rains. According to the sources, cleaning of 228km-long drains has been completed by WASA.

WASA spends Rs425 million annually on the monsoon season expenses, including maintenance of vehicles, machinery, sewerage pipelines and purchases.

The sources said most of the available machinery had nearly completed its lifespan, including 44 suction machines, 56 dumper trucks, 15 excavators, 134 dewatering sets, 45 jetting machines, 13 crane trucks, 23 water bowsers and 51 loader trolleys. The organization has about 6,000 employees.

The sources said special arrangements had been made by WASA for the draining rainwater from 31 important places in Lahore, which VIPs pass through, for which duties have been assigned to 646 employees.

However, 21 Monsoon Emergency Relief Camps set up in the city, with squads consisting of at least 10 employees each, have buckets, ropes, bamboo and manhole covers instead of modern equipment.

Meanwhile, many sewerage pipelines in Lahore have expired and have not been replaced for a long time. Complaints of their blockage are common.

Because of lack of separate drains in more than 85% areas of Lahore, the rainwater also passes through the already blocked and overflowing sewerage lines.

Heavy rainfall measuring more that 50mm floods the streets and roads of the city.