Rawalpindi: Heavy rain floods katchi abadis: Slum dwellers fear collapse of houses

[Naveed Yaseen]

* People take refuge under bridges, bus stations and in under-construction houses

By Imran Asghar

RAWALPINDI: The heavy rain that lashed the city on Sunday added to the miseries of slum dwellers, as women and children left their mud houses fearing that they could cave in anytime.

During a visit to different slums near Gawalmandi, Marrir Hassan, Dhoke Kashmirian, Pirwadhai on the bank of Leh Nullah and New Katarian, Daily Times observed that most of the slum dwellers had left their houses for safer places fearing that their houses could collapse during heavy rain.

Most of the slums comprise mud houses and dwellings made from logs, straws, dry grass and tattered clothes and plastic sheets. These houses have no proper drainage system and prone to threat of collapse due to dripping roofs during rain. Street water also enters the rooms making the temporary mud walls weaker.

“During heavy rainfall, the slums present a dirty look and it is hard to imagine that someone could dare to live in these makeshift houses with their family,” said a resident of Khayban-e-Sir Syed.

He said the slum dwellers had left their houses along with their children as heavy rain had flooded their already dripping houses.

He said the slum dwellers had taken refuge under bridges, shelters and under-construction houses. He said the civil society should come forward to help such people, especially during such a cold weather and heavy rain.

Aurang Zaib, a slum dweller who along with his wife and three children had left his house and taken shelter at Pirwadhai bus station, told Daily Times that due to rain and cold weather his children were suffering from flu and cold.

Zaib said he could not stay in his slum house as it had been filled with rainwater. He said rain always brought miseries to the slum dwellers.

Sherani, another slum inhabitant who along with her few months old baby had taken refuge under a Railway bridge at Marrir Chowk, said heavy rain had flooded her slum dwelling. She said her husband was trying hard to save their house from collapse.

She said due to risk of house collapse she had brought her child to a safe place. She said two walls of her house had leaned due to weight of wet soil and water.

Sherani in a choked voice and with tears rolling down from her eyes said she desired to live with her family in a concrete house. She said no one could imagine miseries of the people living in slum areas.

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