Faisal Mehmood’s family has lived in Nadeem Colony along Rawalpindi’s Nullah Leh for nearly sixty years. It is a low-lying area and one of the worst-affected when there is flooding.

With the district administration issuing a flood alert from June 15 to August 15 for the monsoon, Mehmood fears he might have to move to a safer place in case the situation worsens.

This was the case last year as well, when heavy rain inundated the city, including low-lying areas where water stood as high as 15 feet. Goods, valuables and vehicles worth billions was damaged or destroyed.

It is followed by weeks of efforts to drain the water and clear the nullah full of hundreds of thousands of plastic bags and other waste dumped in the 18-km canal. It is also case for the ten other large rain water flowing in the city. Around half a million people reside along these waterways across Rawalpindi.

The met department has forecast heavy rain this year. The Rawalpindi administration has declared this period as a regular flood season and started a thorough cleaning campaign. At least 15 points of the Nullah Leh have been declared vulnerable.

The Nullah Leh starts from the top of Margalla Hills of Islamabad, arriving towards Islamabad through streams and waterfalls before becoming a major water channel before joining the 18-km long water body.

Flooding

Fourteen major and minor floods have been reported in Nullah Leh,

The floods of 1971 were among the worst and claimed 26 lives.

In 2001, the city experienced one of the worst floods in its history, and claimed at least three dozen lives. The water level ranged from five feet to 20 feet. It also damaged 300 structures and killed hundreds of cattle.

Entire markets were submerged. According to one estimate, over 30,000 shops and warehouses were damaged, leaving many traders penniless and in debt.

The district administration at that time had estimated the losses to be of Rs8.5 billion.

“Even at that time, our politicians and leaders made promises to fix the problem,” says Mehmood. “But they were lies. We remain at the mercy of the floods.”

In 2007, then president Pervez Musharraf oversaw the start of a project to address some of the problems, but it was stalled after the PML-N government came to power.

The planned cost of the project has since balloon fivefold and now stands in excess of Rs100 billion. It was revived in 2019 but is yet to take off.

Amjad Parvez, a resident of Javed Colony, says he has seen no development despite since decades in the area. “The waste of the entire city accumulates here when the soil flows and the waters recede. We suffer from diseases for a month even after the flood water has been drained,” he said. It also affected property prices and commute from the area was also challenging.

An office holder of a traders collective from Moti Bazaar, Naveed Kanwal said that the Water & Sanitation Agency (Wasa) spends tens of millions to clear the drain which was a cosmetic solution.

Ghulam Qadir Mir, another trader, that they lose their sleep as soon as its monsoon season. “If it rains at night during monsoon, we rush to the bazaar to safeguard our goods and warehouses.”

The area falls in the constituency of Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, who says that the Musharraf-era Leh Expressway project would improve the situation.

Preventive measures

Civil Defense District Officer Talib Hussain says that a plan has been devised to protect the population due to the more-than-usual rain forecast. Even the army has been asked to assist in case the situation arises.

Around 300 volunteers will be assigned to the low-lying areas in daily shifts during the flood season from June 15 to September 30.

WASA spokesperson Umar Farooq said that cleaning had commenced to ensure there were no impediments to water flow in the waterway. Cleanup would be completed by June 30 before the flood season, he said. It would cost Rs30 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2023.