SWABI: The residents of Topi city have complained about choked drains and demanded practical steps to fix the problem.

Due to choked drains, dirty water flows onto the streets, causing troubles to pedestrians and motorists, but the authorities are not serious to overhaul the drainage system on modern lines, the residents complained.

The situation gets worse when it rains as streets get flooded with sewerage water due to ill-planned development carried out during the last two decades.

In the Meena Bazaar market the rainwater even enters the shops, causing losses to the business community.

“Rainwater floods the streets due to choked sewers, making it difficult for the people to enter the market,” Niaz Mohammad, a local trader, lamented.

TMA officials said unplanned urbanisation had resulted in the present situation. Besides, they said encroachments, throwing of garbage into drains by the people had added to the problem.

Mohammad Younas, Topi Tehsil Naib Nazim, admitted that there was an urgent need to fix the flawed sewerage system. However, he said the people should not throw rubbish into the drains. Officials of communication and works department said it was a dilemma for the locals that despite the Topi city shared border with Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Tarbela Dam and Ghazi Barotha hydropower project, the people of the area could not get any inspiration from these modern projects due to unknown reasons.

The Topi city is hometown of Islamia College Peshawar founder Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan.

It comprises two union councils, Topi East and Topi West. According to 2017 census its urban population is 275,317 and rural 52,983.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2018