Residents living under constant fear wonder about permanent solution

People still throwing garbage in the main nullah as well as its small arteries; low lying area dwellers shift valuables to safety ahead of likely flooding

Rawalpindi

The residents of low-lying areas raised the question whether there would be any permanent solution to avoid flooding in the Nullah Leh that always haunts them during monsoon, forcing them to live under constant fear and threat.

"I have never seen a monsoon season in my life when my family, neighbors and all the people living here felt comfortable for even a single moment. Every year we fear for our lives and property and it seems that there is no end to this misery," said 28-year old Yasir, who lives near Nullah Leh in New Katarian.

He said there are some common scenes that he had seen throughout his life during the monsoon season such as roads turned into ponds and puddles, vehicles broke down in knee-deep water and the people faced trouble to get to their workplaces.

It is pertinent to mention here that the low-lying areas often face threat of flood-like situation in the monsoon season including Bazaar Kallan, Dingi Khoi, Raja Bazaar, Akalgarh, Nadeem Colony, Javed Colony, Dhoke Ratta, Ganjmandi, Jamia Masjid Road, Bani Chowk, Sadiqabad, Commercial Market, College Road, Bohar Bazaar, Naya Mohallah, Raja Bazaar, Mohanpura, Arjan Nagar, Amarpura and New Katarian.

Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood said they have taken all possible measures to ensure smooth flow of water in the Nullah Leh and the problematic spots where wastage was halting the way of water have been cleared with the help of heavy machinery.

"We are still working and keeping vigil over the situation in coordination with all the relevant departments. The Punjab government is also providing required help and getting updates about the flow of water in the Nullah Leh," he said.

On the other hand he residents living on the banks of the Nullah Leh are still not hesitant to throw their garbage into the Nullah Leh despite the fact that Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has just completed the work of its dredging and desilting to reduce the flood risk.

One can see the polythene bags, wrappers, bottles and other household material flowing with the water of the Nullah Leh that often plays havoc when these kind of wastage blocks the flow of water on various 'black spots'.

"The people are seen throwing wastage in the Nullah Leh throughout the day and it is really near to impossible to keep vigil over them because they just come, throw the material and leave away," said Iftikhar Abbasi, a resident of Phagwari area.

According to some reports, about 1,000 tons of garbage and construction material are thrown into the nullah on a daily basis. But still various options are being discussed how to tackle with this kind of situation.

Nullah Leh has a length of about 30 kilometres, stretching from the federal capital to Rawalpindi. It has six major tributaries, three originating in the foothills of Islamabad.

Zahoor Bhatti, a resident of New Parhian, said one cannot expect that everything should be done by the government because the councillors and nazims can constitute committees comprising local people to ensure no one throws garbage into the Nullah Leh.

Mansoor Alam, a resident of New Katarian, said there is a need to change the mindset of the people because it is traditionally believed that Nullah Leh is a dumping ground for the wastage, adding "The local government should impose fines and punish those people who carelessly throw wastage into the Nullah Leh.

Meanwhile, the residents of the low-lying areas have started shifting their valuables to safer places in the face of threats of flooding in the Nullah Leh during the monsoon.

"We have shifted refrigerator, television and even washing machine to a nearby place because we can spend life for few weeks without them instead of losing them in the flood," said Hira Batool, a resident of Dhoke Naju.

According to her, the maximum time the alert system can give them is ninety minutes so it is not possible for them to shift their valuables to other places in this short time.

The local administration has installed a state-of-the-art flood alert system that informs the residents about the rising water level through sirens but reaction time is not more than ninety minutes because the water travels so fast in 30 kilometres stretch of Nullah Leh.

Many inmates of Warsi Mohalla in New Katarian have also shifted their valuables to other places as they often become victim of rising water level in the monsoon.

Naseem Akhtar, a resident of Warsi Mohallah, said they have lost their valuables number of times during last
fifteen years, adding "Whenever the water enters into their homes it plays havoc and destroys everything within."

He said it is quite advisable for the residents of the low-lying areas to shift important household items along with some costly material like jewellery prior to the flood-like situation.