TAXILA: The recent spell of monsoon rains has created havoc in the rural areas of the city, inundating almost all low-lying areas and surging water inside houses and shops, damaging hundreds of houses and causing a massive loss.

Rainwater inundated several low-lying areas and roads in the rural areas of the city after the heavy downpour. The drainage system has choked and several roads have turned into ponds of water, creating problems for the residents, as their shops are inundated in knee-deep waters, besides damaging standing crops.

Areas including Ahatta, Usman Khattar, Garhi Sikandar, Garhi Afghanan, Rehbar Colony, Machhar Colony, Shahpur, Khurram Paracha and the localities adjacent to Faisal Shaheed Road have been worst-affected.

In several areas, people were seen waiting helplessly near their inundated houses for the rainwater to recede.

The residents are seen using buckets to throw out water from their houses as no assistance has been provided by the authorities, while poor arrangements have been made by the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) for drainage.

The residents complain that the roads and streets remain inundated for several days after rain, creating inconvenience for them.

“The ongoing rains have exposed all the tall claims made by the concerned departments of TMA about the sanitation and drainage of rainwater,” said Manzoorul Hassan, a former councillor.

Before the rains, he added, the authorities had claimed that all the streams and drains of the city had been cleared of silt and solid waste, thus there was no danger of flooding during the current monsoon season.

The heavy downpour has also damaged standing crops in these areas.

The farmers said that standing rainwaters in the field could damage their crops completely.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2014