Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday sought a report from the National Disaster Management Authority in view of the monsoon rain spells.
The Prime Minister directed that a report giving details about the arrangements and measures to be adopted in case of any eventuality be submitted to him by the NDMA.
The Prime Minister directed that apart from the NDMA, all other concerned federal departments must also be fully prepared to face any challenging situation, arising out of monsoon rains.
Woes of mismanagement
Pakistan is currently facing a severe water crisis. Experts fear that the per capita availability of fresh water in Pakistan will decline to 860 cubic meters by 2025. As a result, the country may reach absolute water scarcity by 2040.
However, on the other hand, Pakistan is also a victim of floods during the monsoon season. Due to unplanned urbanization, some areas are not equipped to deal with heavy rains.
Read more: Monsoon Floodings: Is Pakistan ready for another crisis amid Corona?
As floods take over Islamabad’s sector E-11, netizens are making comparisons between sector E and sector F.
Social media users are of the view that sector E-11 does not have enough open space around nullahs. Furthermore, it does not enough have adequate green belts. Such factors contribute to flooding.
Moreover, netizens are accusing private housing schemes of prioritizing profits over sustainable development.
Have a look at the difference in the width of open space around nullahs for flooding in E-11 vs a CDA sector like F-11. E-11 was planned by 4 or 5 different private societies that have maximised plotted area at the expense of nullahs and greenspace pic.twitter.com/8m2D21EhvJ
— Fahad Desmukh (@desmukh) July 28, 2021
Issues of mismanagement and lack of planning are not exclusive to Islamabad. Different cities of Pakistan also suffer during the monsoon season.
Earlier this month in KPK, over 20 people died when heavy rain or floods caused roofs, walls, or whole buildings to collapse.
Last year, a spell of monsoon also wreaked havoc in Karachi, causing irreparable damage to lives and property.
Read more: Urbanization and declining agriculture: How to balance them off?
The government should take initiatives to mitigate the negative consequences of flooding. Due to climate change, irregular weather patterns are expected, however, Pakistan should ensure that relevant measures are taken to ensure that floods do not damage cities.
APP with additional input by GVS News Desk