Rawalpindi:
The recent Mosson downpour in Rawalpindi and Islamabad has resulted in general floods, significant material damage and loss of linked lives. The authorities have identified illegal construction on natural water canals as the main cause.
Investigations have confirmed that water passages in residential areas, green, open fields and private housing companies have been obstructed or modified.
Without appropriate drainage infrastructure, water has dropped in urban centers, submerging low zones and exposing the failures of systemic planning. In response, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (GDR) launched a joint working group involving the councils of Canton of Rawalpindi and Chaklala, the Pakistani army and other departments. A high -level meeting, chaired by the director general of the GDR, Kinza Murtaza, underlined the immediate application of existing laws and the abolition of encroachments along the rivers.
The meeting decided to restore natural water flow routes and to enforce the “grip” laws to prevent future disasters. Officials have recognized that poor planning, blocked rainwater drains and unauthorized land development contributed directly to the crisis. The authorities have undertaken to rehabilitate the areas subject to floods and to ensure that natural rivers remain without obstruction, thus avoiding repeated scenarios of destruction induced by floods.
