Two die as flash flood sweeps away vehicle
Hafiz and Shaukat were on their way to their home in a taxi when a powerful torrent swept away their vehicle as it was passing through a dilapidated bridge on Korang.
The accident occurred because of a sudden release of water from the Rawal dam, which flows into the seasonal drain. A police official said that authorities were not informed before the release of water, which is why they were unable to take precautionary steps.
DCO Amir Ahmed Ali said that the Rawal Dam administration does not have the power to release water from the dam without informing the DCO Administration.
“We were not informed about the water release till last night,” he said.
He added that new bridges would be built on the nullah to avoid the recurrence of such incidents.
Local people have been pressing for reconstruction of the bridge for quite some time now, which was damaged by floods and is without concrete barriers on either side.
Water levels have remained high because of persistent rains and local people have been using self-made lifts to cross the nullah.
The deputy commissioner of Islamabad said that he had appointed Assistant DCO Farasat Ali Khan to submit an enquiry report within the next two days.
Later, local people staged a protest on the Islamabad Expressway against the lack of coordination between the two bodies.
Holding banners and placards, the protesters accused the authorities of lethargy in constructing a new bridge.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2010.
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