I FAIL to understand why no one is prepared to follow the solution to flooding and waste of water that was adopted by the people of Meluhha 6,000 years ago when they constructed a gigantic seven-metre high platform as a foundation for the city of Mohenjo-Daro with hundreds of houses with hundreds of wells. Why can’t we learn from them and raise the plinth of our houses above flood level and direct the rainwater into wells so that it does not inundate roads, houses and fields and is stored for further use?

Rainwater is a clean source of water, often better than groundwater or water from rivers or lakes and is also much cheaper. There are countries where rainwater harvesting is compulsory and legally required by every household.

In China, Argentina and Brazil, rooftop rainwater harvesting is used to provide drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation and to replenish groundwater levels.

India’s Tamil Nadu state has made rainwater harvesting compulsory for every building, which has led to a rise in the water level and an improvement in the quality of water. Frankfurt airport has the biggest rainwater harvesting system in Germany. It saves approximately one million cubic metres of water per year. The water is used for flushing toilets, watering plants and cleaning the air conditioning system.

Many town planners and architects have been proposing this. Architect Yasmeen Lari has designed and helped build houses with the plinth above flood level in the katcha area of the Indus river. An overwhelming number of these houses have survived rain and flood. Bamboo towers have been built to house precious household goods and save lives in floods.

Suhail Zaheer Lari
Karachi

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KARACHI experienced torrential rains for three consecutive days bringing life to a virtual halt. The largest city of Pakistan is also ranked as the seventh largest in the world. It is a business hub and the country’s financial capital and primary port.

However, for such a large and important metropolis, it suffers from a severe lack of proper infrastructure. The recent flooding has exposed the mismanagement and pathetic governance that ails the city.

The aftermath is costing Pakistan’s GDP at least $449 million daily. The rot emanates from the long-standing rift between the MQM and PPP which is played out in the antics resorted to by Karachi city administration and Sindh government to create problems for one another.

The Aug 28 deluge should serve as a warning for all concerned to get their act together as Mother Nature may not forgive us the next time.

Rahul Bansari
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2020