Rawalpindi: Rain makes life miserable in low-lying areas, Leh Nullah rises to 14 feet

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Aamir Yasin
RAWALPINDI: Heavy rain on Saturday raised water level in Leh Nullah to 14 feet, just four feet below the flood level, causing the dwellers of low-lying areas to pass a sleepless night.

City district administration, Civil Defence Department and Rescue 1122 remained on high alert to deal with any emergency.

The meteorological department recorded 107mm rain in Islamabad and 69mm in Rawalpindi, and forecast isolated rains in the twin cities in the next 24 hours. The rain started at 1:00am and continued uninterrupted till 8:00am. The ongoing rain spell has exposed the tall claims of the city district government that all drains and nullahs had been cleared of garbage to save the city, especially the low-lying areas, from going under water.

The sewerage system in downtown and the areas adjacent to Leh Nullah was bunged up with sewage, dead trees and leaves allowing the rainwater to flood houses and shops.

In parts of the city including Bazaar Kallan, Dingi Khoi, Raja Bazaar, Akalgarh, Nadeem Colony, Javed Colony, Dhoke Ratta, Ganjmandi, Jamia Masjid Road, Bani Chowk, Sadiqabad, Satellite Town, Commercial Market, College Road, Bohar Bazaar, Naya Mohallah, Raja Bazaar, Mohanpura, Nanakpura, Arjan Nagar, Amarpura people were seen pumping out water.

High humidity, surging temperatures and suspension of power supply to these areas made life miserable. Power supply to these areas was restored only after 9 am.

The roads and streets gave the look of ponds, pools and puddles. At many places vehicles broke down in knee-deep water landing motorists in a serious trouble. The commuters had great trouble reaching their offices. In many parts of the city and cantonment, traffic signals went out of order, causing long snarl-ups.

The residents of downtown criticized the city district government and held the present and past governments responsible for the faulty sewerage system.

“The government comes into action when the damage has been done,” said Malik Qayyum, a resident of Arya Mohallah. He said they were spending sleepless nights for fear of 2001-like flood.

Ali Hassan, a resident of Tipu Road, said that the local government had failed to expand Leh Nullah despite charging them taxes. He said the city’s sewerage system was still choked but no department was paying heed to this serious problem. Solid Waste Management District Officer Dr Mazhar Azeem told Daily Times that rainwater did not accumulate in the city due to proper desilting of nullahs and drains of the city much before the monsoon.

He said water level in Leh Nullah was recorded 14 feet at New Katarian and 13 feet at Gawalmandi. “In the past, rainwater would flood Service Road, Kuri Road, 7th Road and Cherah Road creating problems for people. But on Saturday, the situation was satisfactory, as these areas were not flooded by Leh water.

However, Dr Azeem admitted inundation of downtown area and blamed it on choked sewerage system. He said the city’s sewerage system was decades-old needing replacement.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...008_pg11_2