Flood season begins without readiness

Desilting remains incomplete, relief camps not set up, rescue drills yet to be conducted

RAWALPINDI:

The monsoon flood season begins in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Tuesday (today), but concrete measures to deal with possible flooding have yet to be completed. Owing to the ongoing financial crisis, funds required for monsoon preparedness have also not been released.

The flood season has been declared from July 15 to September 15. Every year, rescue agencies conduct practical training and full-scale rescue drills at Rawal Dam for citizens trapped in floodwaters, but these exercises have not yet been held.

The 18-kilometre-long Leh Nullah and 15 small and large rain drains flowing through Rawalpindi Cantonment have not been fully desilted.

WASA and the Municipal Corporation had sought funds from the government for the work, but allocations were significantly reduced, preventing the hiring of heavy machinery from the private sector.

WASA teams focused only on the Gawalmandi Bridge area, while the remaining sections of Leh Nullah and rain drains were left unattended.

Some desilting has been carried out within city limits, but the stretch from Marir Hassan, Moti Plaza Chowk to Soan River in the cantonment area has not been touched, increasing the risk of severe flooding during the monsoon.

Many residents living along Leh Nullah have temporarily relocated, while others in low-lying areas have shifted valuables to safer places. Five flood relief camps, which are established every year for flood victims, have yet to be set up. A joint central flood control room involving the Triple One Brigade, police, administration and other departments has also not been established, while Civil Defence rescue wards in low-lying areas are still inactive.

Residents of Javed Colony, Nadeem Colony, Fazalabad, Dhoke Khabba Street 10, Fauji Colony and Dhoke Hassu said no desilting had been carried out in their areas and that pre-monsoon rains had already inundated streets with three feet of water. They said they had been completely ignored this year and feared a greater flood risk.

The Education Department said five schools - Islamia School No. 1 and No. 4, New Katarian, Dhoke Hassu, Gawalmandi and Dhoke Ratta Bhusa Godam - had been designated as flood relief camps and would be made operational within 24 hours of receiving orders.

A meeting on flood preparedness will be held this week under the chairmanship of the newly appointed deputy commissioner, with officers of the Triple One Brigade also expected to attend.

Residents of Sharon Colony near the Soan River said no protective measures had yet been taken in the low-lying locality, creating fear among the population.

Federal Minister Hanif Abbasi said Rawalpindi was a Pakistan Muslim League-N city and that, alongside the administration, party workers would make every effort to minimise damage during the monsoon.

BOX

Unsafe buildings get eviction notices

our correspondent

RAWALPINDI. The Municipal Corporation, Auqaf Department, Cantonment Board and District Council have issued routine notices directing occupants to vacate 244 buildings and shops with leaking roofs and unstable walls ahead of the monsoon season.

Such notices are issued every July, but not a single building is vacated. The practice has continued in Rawalpindi for the past three decades, and the process has once again been completed this year.

The century-old dilapidated buildings are located in Shah Chan Chiragh, Nayaran, Bagh Sardaran, Ghazni Road, Kartarpura, Pul Shah Nazar, Lal Haveli, Sarafa Bazaar, Purana Qila, Landa Bazaar, Jhangi Mohallah, Sarai Mughal, Bhabhra Bazaar, Bohar Bazaar, Bawa Roda Road, Angatpura, New Katarian, Chittian Hattian and adjoining areas.

Most of the buildings belong to the Auqaf Department as former Hindu properties. Many are three-storey structures housing four to six families that have lived there for 50 to 70 years. Owing to low government rents, residents refuse to vacate despite the dangerous condition of the buildings, fearing they will not be allotted the properties again.

The Auqaf Department also owns commercial properties in Sarai Mughal, Talwaran Bazaar, Trunk Bazaar and Mochi Bazaar.

Every monsoon, one or two buildings partially or completely collapse. Authorities present the notices as proof of action after such incidents.

Cases related to the evacuation notices are also pending in courts, but, according to the report, the government does not effectively pursue them because of alleged collusion with tenants, resulting in repeated adjournments.