A blessing and a blight

Islamabad

They say every cloud has a silver lining and there are two sides to every story - giving a comparison of the results every time it rains is a good case in point!

After four days of cloudy, stuffy weather that promised rain but did not deliver, the much awaited rainfall finally showered its blessings and made the weather somewhat more pleasant than it has been recently. Residents of Rawalpindi and those living in its environs must have heaved a sigh of relief as everything above ground looks fresh and clean – the trees appear as if they have sprouted new leaves overnight; the air is fresh; wilting flowers have perked up and the birds are chirping happily, If only it was all as pleasant as this!

Alas, things don’t look so good on the ground level and one glance at the mess lying everywhere brings you down to reality with a jolt! Low lying areas have been inundated, not to say anything about the mud and slush which has made life miserable, especially in the areas where the less privileged live and the ‘kutchi abadis’ (slums) where there are no paved roads. A big, added nuisance is the refuse which was thrown out from overfilled drains and open garbage sites and is lying everywhere, the pernicious plastic bags being the most evident, while rotting fruit; vegetables and other degradable materials will give out the most horrible odour and permeate the air after a day of sunshine

Every year, we moan and groan about the situation that arises after the rains, be it winter or summer. While rain may disrupt life for a while, the aftermath is worse because of the lack of civic responsibility that exists in the population and the fact that the drainage system is faulty, to a large extent. Most of the drains alongside roads have been left open – probably for easier cleaning - but irresponsible persons throw their garbage in them instead of carrying it to a nearby dump and these drains spew forth their contents or remain blocked because of this careless disposal of refuse from houses located in each area.

The Met office has forecast more rain and the situation will get worse, creating more filth on the roads and more stagnant water, which is a health hazard because of mosquitoes etc. Each and every person blames the administration for their woes and no one is willing to admit that the fault lies as much with the residents of localities as with the civic authorities. If everyone was aware of their civic responsibility and did their share it would be great but it does not look as if that will happen any time soon.