ISLAMABAD: A citizen on Monday requested the Supreme Court to order the constitution of a judicial commission to ascertain what measures have been taken by the authorities concerned to prevent flooding in the Nullah Leh.

Petitioner Abdullah Tahir pleaded before the apex court that the commission should consist of retired judges of the Supreme Court or the high courts as well as competent engineers to be nominated by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC). The commission should submit a detailed report about the preventive measures.

The secretary to the chief minister Punjab, the chairmen Capital Development Authority, Rawalpindi Development Authority, the district coordination officers of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the chief engineer (flood) Federal Flood Commission Islamabad as well as the Small Dams Organisation Islamabad have been made respondents in the petition.

Petitioner pleads for a judicial commission to probe what measures have been taken to check flooding in the nullah

Leh is a rainwater-fed natural stream flowing through the city of Rawalpindi. Every year during the monsoon season (July to September) it floods after heavy rains in its catchment’s basin in the Margalla Hills of Islamabad. It has a catchment area of 234.8 kilometres, extending from the Margalla Hills to Rawalpindi. The Leh basin receives heavy rainfall averaging 500mm in the monsoon season which normally leads to heavy flood discharges.

The petition pleaded the court to make the respondents accountable for neglecting to protect the residents of Rawalpindi from the overflowing of the nullah resulting in floods in the city.

The petitioner also sought a direction from the court to the authorities to immediately commence projects to save the lives and properties of the inhabitants of Rawalpindi/ Islamabad from floods.

Advocate Tahir also expressed concerns over what the deaths of 14 citizens during the recent flooding in the Leh Nullah besides damages to the properties.

On July 23, 2001, a total of 620mm rainfall was recorded in 10 hours in Islamabad which caused flooding in the Leh Nullah. As many as 74 people lost their lives besides damages to public and private properties worth around Rs15 billion, the petition added.

To improve the situation, the petition recalled, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on the request of the government of Pakistan provided grants, technical assistance and equipment along with training to officials concerned to lessen the impact of the Leh flooding.

Recently, JICA extended equipment worth Rs13 million to the Pakistan Meteorological Department to for the forecasting system of Leh.

“Japan contributed so positively towards the Leh issue but our own concerned departments have been a silent spectators.” The petition said the citizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained at a great danger if significant steps were not taken.

The petition claimed that the development of the metro bus system worsened the nullah’s overflowing problem. Since the digging was done during the project, the mud was thrown into the natural streams of Islamabad. These streams, which joined the Leh Nullah, have become narrower which is why the water flow in the streams have increased and now the water reaches Leh more quickly and with more pressure and force, it added.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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