Smart roofs

Sadly, 30 people have died so far, many in Quetta, mostly because of roof collapse due to the weight of heavy snow. I looked at pictures of the snow covered city in the news and was utterly shocked to see that all the houses had flat roofs. In a region where it snows, how can that be possible?

Does our building control not make it compulsory to have inclined roofs in places where it rains and snows? I have not seen a single flat roof in the UK as the houses are made to withstand the weather. I feel a lot of responsibility lies with the building regulatory authorities in Pakistan to make it compulsory to have inclined roofs in regions that receive heavy rain and snow. Incompetence can certainly become criminal.

Nusrat Jabeen

Islamabad