Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Due to sheer negligence of all the three civic authorities in the federal capital, Islooites were left stranded on flooded roads and streets as most parts of the capital city submerged in knee-deep water after heavy downpour on Saturday.

The first shower of monsoon caused flash floods in twin cities, exposing inability of all the civic bodies to tackle with the catastrophe despite the fact that they were warned about the choked nullahs filled with filth and garbage. However, the indifferent capital authorities remained numb to the drumbeat of early warnings by the relevant departments.

Again rainwater flooded many sectors of Islamabad as streets and principal roads were inundated. Even the roads and streets of upscale sectors including F7, F6 were flooded. It seems that the authorities concerned have learnt no lesson from last year’s monsoon, when rain and flash floods wrecked havoc in the federal capital. Even a child in Iqbal Town area drowned where floodwater was three to four feet deep.

The situation is far worse in rural Islamabad, particularly the constituency of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, who is tasked with uplift of the federal area, speaks volumes about the negligence of the civic bodies. The adjacent areas of Bara Kahu portray a dismal picture, as roads and infrastructure are scruffy.

Umer Cheema, a resident of the area, said, “I have been living in Bara Kahu for the past 10 years. Water makes its way to our streets and homes every year in monsoon while dilapidated roads makes it harder to travel in rains. I request the authorities to take necessary steps.”

It may be mentioned that Lai nullah overflows every year during the monsoon. This year, too, the nullah is filled to the brim but the district administration has done nothing in this regard. It seems that the civic authorities are more interested in taking remedial steps and are least inclined to take precautionary measures.

While speaking to Daily Times, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Deputy Director (Media) Malik Saleem said that the relevant directorates had been transferred to the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) and it now was their obligation to clean the nullahs and take further steps.

Capital Administration and Development Division Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said that all the departments concerned had taken precautionary measures to cope with the situation. The IMC and the ICT are also playing their role and special teams have been established to help the citizens, he added.