Gujrat has been drowning in its own rainwater since September 2, when heavy downpour turned the city into one of the worst examples of urban flooding. More than five days later, much of the water has still not been drained. For the people of Gujrat, life has been at a standstill. Shops are closed, schools and courts are under water, worship places are inundated, and homes remain unliveable. This is not just about one storm. The city has been suffering from poor drainage and sewerage systems for decades. Every government promises to fix it, yet the problem only gets worse. Former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi once announced huge funds to upgrade the system, but poor planning and low-quality work meant the money was wasted. Even today, with Shafay Hussain and Salik Hussain in government, the city continues to sink whenever it rains. A new scheme with World Bank funding has been announced, but people have learned to wait before they believe.
The tragedy is not just the rainwater itself, as Gujrat is home to a couple of seasonal rainy nullahs which also put in their share of troubles for the public. The Punjab Disaster Management Authority has warned of more heavy rains until September 9, with flash floods feared in Dera Ghazi Khan and rivers already swelling in central Punjab. If Gujrat cannot drain a single storm in a week, how will it survive the next spell?
Urban flooding in Gujrat is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made (read municipality-made) one. Bad planning, negligence and broken promises have left the city exposed. Until a new drainage is planned and installed, the people of Gujrat will have to live on sandbags and empty announcements. And every drop of rain will remind them that their city is being left to sink again. *