In the aftermath of the tragic deaths of over 30 swimmers off the coast of Karachi, emotions are running high and the families of the victims are looking for someone to blame. In the capital too, the Rawal Lake is one spot where such tragedies have occurred in the past. With the onset of monsoon rains, Dawn spoke to Rana Bilal, the Sub-Divisional Officer at Rawal Dam, and asked him what measures the administration is taking to prevent future tragedies.

Q: What measures does the civil administration take during rainy season, when the spillways for dams are to be opened and water level rises in Rawal Lake?

A: There is a standard operating procedure which has to be followed before the spillways are opened. As many as 10 departments – including the 111 Brigade, Pakistan Navy, Islamabad administration, the Small Dams Organisation and Rescue 1122 – are taken in the loop before such a measure. Before water is let out, the authorities calculate exactly how long the spillways should remain open for to avoid flooding downstream of the reservoir.

However, during heavy rains, the spillways have to be opened for longer time and the police departments of the twin cities including traffic police are also informed.

The Navy does depute two divers near the spillways to rescue people who may drown. Moreover, a siren is sounded for half-an-hour before the spillways are opened and announcements are made in all nearby mosques.

Q: As with the recent tragedy in Karachi, we see that many people pay no heed to warnings and still go out to swim and fish in lakes. What more can be done to prevent the loss of life in this regrettable fashion?

A: Unfortunately, there are few avenues for recreation starved people and a lot of people come down to Rawal Lake for picnic. They also try to go swimming, even if Section 144 is in force.

Security officials can arrest those who bathe in the dam and they are usually taken to the local police station. Since these people are mostly youths, the police keep them in lockup for up to four hours and their parents are summoned to the station. They are only released on the guarantee that they will not try to swim in the dam again.

Q: How can the enforcement of such warnings be improved and how can we ensure that people understand the risks of going to swim or fish in lakes at such times?

The administration of the Islamabad Capital Territory and law enforcement agencies do not deploy personnel all around the dam round-the-clock. Despite their best efforts, many picnickers make it to the banks of the reservoir and try to swim in the rising waters.

The only solutions are to create awareness among visitors to the dam and make them realise that in such cases, Section 144 is imposed for their own protection. Moreover, the departments concerned should be given more authority and strict punishments and fines should be instituted for violators. This, unfortunately, is the only way we can get people to understand the dangers of swimming in these deep waters.

Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014