Pindiites are prisoners of gutters

RAWALPINDI : Go anywhere problem with almost all Rawalpindi roads is the drainage system. Whether you have potholes, roadside erosion, cave-ins, or ditches, the root of the problem is usually the road’s inability to handle water. All city streets have some common traits but Shah Khalid Colony enjoys a distinctive status among them.

“Most of the time, living in the Shah Khalid Colony is not bad. But when this darling road turns to a gutter water pool after rain and this overflow into your houses, living in this area can feel more like being stuck in hell,” says Mehdi Zaman.

“If it is a bazaar road you live on like Shah Khalid Colony, you may be literally stuck; at least until the gutter water recedes and bails you out. Until then you’re forever struggling to keep it passable,” says Amber Ali.

“The rainy season makes everyone want to enjoy. Torrents of rain scrub even the dirtiest streets clean and it seems every leaf sparkles. One wants to be out for a walk, loving the bluest sky. But alas, my colony has a sad story to tell,” says Fakhar Abbas.

“In a few strides, I turn a corner at the entrance of the colony; my perception changes a full 180 degrees. My previous view was lovely, with no complaints, but this new view of the overflowing gutter literally astounded me and it hurt me. There was a river-like scenario on the Service Road making it impossible for me to cross over to old Airport Road,” adds Fakhar Abbas.

“Have you ever stopped to see how dirty some city streets are? Have you ever looked into storm drains in residential areas? For the most part, there is no civic body worker to filter out trash, dirt, yard waste, cigarette butts, oil, fertilizers, pesticides, and many other pollutants, such as small metal particles like copper and zinc from vehicles,” says Sabir Hussain.

“Where do these pollutants come from that fill our streets? They come from our everyday activities. It is not rare that someone intentionally dumps pollutants directly into storm drains, sadly it does happen,” says Shakeel Turabi.

“Since the pollution is so diffuse, there is not much our sanitation workers can do about it. They of course respond with street sweeping, using vacuum trucks to clean debris, and other efforts to reduce pollutants, but unless we all pitch in and make small efforts to keep our streets clean, it will make a huge difference,” says Matloob Hasan.

Azhar Naqvi says, “You and I can make a difference with simple acts. Finding a garbage can for our litter, maintaining our cars so they don’t leak fluids, not washing off our driveways into the streets, sweeping up curb areas rather than blowing the debris somewhere else, all add up to cleaner streets.”