GUJRAT: The city has been hit by the worst urban flooding as Saturday’s heavy rain has, once again, exposed the poor drainage and sewerage system, paralysing the routine life and businesses.

Almost all the city roads and streets were submerged by rainwater till night whereas rainwater also entered the houses, shops, markets, district government offices’ compound and other important buildings, including that of the municipal corporation.

In the month of May, the Gujrat district administration and municipal corporation had started making lofty claims of doing foolproof arrangements to deal with the expected urban flooding but they proved only claims with no practical remedy in sight.

The rain started in the early hours Saturday but it caused havoc to the lives of the locals as there was hardly any area where rainwater had not accumulated.

The business and commercial centres remained closed as the people were stranded in their homes due to the submerged streets and roads. Rehman Shaheed Road, Jinnah Road, Circular Road, Bhimbher Road, Jail Chowk, Katchery Chowk, Railway Road, Ramtalai Road and adjoining residential localities were the worst hit by the rainwater. The Muslim Bazaar, the city’s main commercial hub, historical Eidgah Masjid along old GT Road and dozens of its adjoining markets were also among the hit areas.

The offices of the deputy commissioner, district police officer and district courts chambers of the lawyers and other government offices located in the Katchery compound were presenting a look of a no-go area for the citizens as they were completely surrounded by the rainwater. Scores of the vehicles including cars, motorbikes, vans and rickshaws went out of order.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Khurram Shahzad told Dawn that his official vehicles were also used in rescuing the people from the rain-hit areas and shifting them to safe places. He said efforts were on to drain the water out through fully functional disposal stations in the city suburbs.

Gujrat city’s drainage and sewerage systems have long been in the dire need of being revamped as a heavy rain always cost the locals heavily but the successive governments and the administrations have so far been unable in dealing with this major problem.

There are reports of huge losses due to the flash floods in the rural areas of Tanda, Karianwala, Jalalpur Jattan, Kharian, Sara-i-Alamgir and other areas. Several roads and streets have been washed away in the Tanda and its surrounding villages, cutting off whole villages from the other areas.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2019