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In recent years, Lahore has seen rains ravage the city and its suburbs, especially the settlements along the banks of the Ravi. This year was no different. A single cloudburst can decimate lives and properties.
Urban flooding is now a recurring phenomenon. For the Water and Sanitation Agency, this means a lot of work, to put it mildly. After a heavy shower, parts of Lahore are inundated. Some of those become no-go areas and emergency workers are needed to evacuate the stranded people. Roads and streets are engulfed, drains overflow and vehicles are submerged. At some places, it’s hard even to wade through the water.
Despite claims and promises made by some WASA officials, past and current, the crisis seems to have only deepened. Ghufran Ahmed, the incumbent WASA managing director, says they have launched a host of initiatives to address the issue. “Fifty-two schemes have been chalked out, at an estimated cost of Rs 25.06 billion,” he tells TNS. “Of these, 10 schemes costing Rs 7.4 billion deal with rainwater storage. Old sewers that have completed their lifespan are being replaced through 26 schemes, the cost of which is Rs 9.16 billion. Six schemes have been launched to replace 55 outdated machines, budgeted at Rs 1.70 billion. The construction of Haji Camp Drain, another key project, is budgeted at Rs 4.10 billion.”
Ahmed also talks of “an extensive development programme for Lahore” kicking into gear. It covers “252 schemes budgeted at Rs 41.35 billion.” In this regard, Rs 21.05 billion have already been made available, he says.
There’s no end to the challenges faced by the Agency. As Mudasser Javed, Director, Planning and Engineering, WASA, says, “Lahore’s infrastructure is weak. Rapid urbanisation has put huge pressure on the city’s drainage system.
“In order to meet such challenges, a Rs 49.27 billion project has been designed. It seeks to build a trunk sewer as per Lahore’s Master Plan. The sewer will be 28 kilometres long, ranging from 5 to 12 feet in width, and will make use of modern, trenchless technology.
“A disposal station with a capacity of 600 cusecs is also part of the project,” Javed adds.
The project has been submitted to the ECNEC for approval. Funding is expected from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
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Financing development projects is a huge challenge. According to the documents provided by the WASA, the monsoon grant has been frozen at Rs 425 million since 2017. This makes it difficult to carry out regular drain maintenance. An enhancement of this grant to Rs 1 billion has been requested.
Some other problems too demand attention. First, there’s an overlapping of jurisdiction with several agencies responsible for water supply, sewerage and drainage. This creates confusion and delays. The WASA has recommended that all these services be delegated to a single agency.
Solid waste disposal into drains and sewers makes flooding worse. Strict enforcement is needed to check this. Ahmed says that Lahore’s 195 parks and open spaces are on high ground and, hence, cannot store rainwater. “The solution is to lower them so that they can function as holding spaces.
The WASA has launched a host of initiatives. “Fifty-two schemes have been chalked out, at an estimated cost of Rs 25.06 billion. “Of these, 10 schemes deal with rainwater storage …”
Road gradients at many places are poorly designed. As a result, rainwater forms puddles and stagnates. Road agencies have been told to fix those by creating proper catch pits.
“Stray cattle, too, add to sanitation issues. They need to be shifted elsewhere,” Ahmed adds.
In recent months, the WASA has started lowering ground levels of 140 parks. Of these, 66 are ranked as high-priority, 43 as medium priority and 32 as low priority. So far, work has been completed in 13, work is in progress in seven, while 120 are pending. The plan is to keep the parks two feet below the road level so that rainwater can flow into them.
Greenbelts are being lowered too. Of the 54 greenbelts identified for the purpose, 41 have been declared as high-priority, 10 as medium priority and three as low priority.
The effort is beginning to have an impact. At Gol Bagh Park in Shadbagh, for instance, the lowering of ground level by a foot has reduced ponding from six inches that cleared in two hours, to 3 inches that clears in one hour.
In Subhan Park, Tajpura, lowering ground level by two feet removed ponding, whereas earlier six inches of water used to stand for three hours.
The WASA looks after a drainage system comprising a number of large drains. The Shalimar Escape Channel runs 13.44 kilometres and carries up to 1,000 cusecs. The Upper Chhota Ravi Drain is almost five kilometres long and carries up to 1,480 cusecs. The Lower Chhota Ravi Drain, also five kilometers long, carries up to 100 cusecs. The Cantt Drain is nearly 29 kilometres long and has the capacity for 1,340 cusecs. The Sattu Katla Drain runs 17 kilometres and carries up to 800 cusecs. The Shahdara Drain, seven kilometres long, has the capacity for 260 cusecs, whereas the Charrar Drain, 18 kilometres long, can carry up to 800 cusecs.
“The WASA has a large fleet of mobile machinery to manage these drains,” says Ahmed. “This includes 40 suction machines, 56 dump trucks, 41 jet machines, 3 cranes, 24 water bowsers, 14 excavators, 134 dewatering sets and 95 backhoe loaders and trolleys.
“We are getting some more machines,” he says.
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Master Plan 2050 is at the heart of the WASA’s proposals to protect Lahore from urban flooding. It takes into account the city’s present and future, including projected vertical expansion. The plan is to separates sewage from storm water and end the use of lift stations.
Ahmed is of the view that storm-water channels will work more effectively and be resilient to climate change. “In the dry season, drains will be turned into waterfronts for recreation. This will add to the beauty of the city. Also, air pollution resulting from poor drainage shall be reduced.
“The area covered by the WASA will expand from 248 square kilometres — which serves 8.7 million people presently — to 477. It will then serve up to 23.3 million people by 2050.” Treatment of sewage will protect groundwater, improve aquatic life, and make communities more livable, the official adds.
Qaswar Abbas, an urban planner, says that local depressions in roads, unfinished road cuts, potholes, raised green belts and the missing gratings contribute to flooding. Outdated or missing infrastructure and the mixing of storm water with sewage compound the problem. “To fix this, the WASA must add more rainwater storage in underground tanks and tunnels, using low-lying grounds and greenbelts, and promoting rainwater harvesting. The bylaws exist already, they only need stricter implementation,” he says.
Ahsan Raza is the editor of Minute Mirror. He can be reached atahsanbudhhotmail.com