LAHORE: An initial fact-finding report has termed the delay in procurement and installation of electric pumps (dewatering machines) allegedly on the part of the project contractor the main reason for accumulation of the rainwater that had flooded the Kalma Chowk underpass about a week back.

On the other hand, the Punjab government has warned of stern action in case the drainage of rainwater at the underpass is not made at a fast pace.

“Last week (before Eid), the two-day heavy rainfall wreaked havoc on the city, causing huge accumulation of rainwater in the underpass. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be drained out due to unavailability of the required number of pumps, forcing the authorities to temporarily close the underpass for traffic,” an official told Dawn on Monday.

The incident reportedly annoyed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who directed the Punjab government to find out the reasons behind the issue and take remedial measures to avert such incidents during the monsoon.

PCBDDA installs seven temporary drainage pumps for monsoon

A fact-finding committee, led by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) managing director, was constituted, the source said.

“During the inquiry, the team reached a consensus that unavailability of the electric pumps due to delay in the procurement allegedly on the part of the contractor (National Logistics Cell) caused flooding of the Kalma Chowk underpass. Had the procurement been made and the pumps were installed on time, accumulation of the huge quantity of rainwater at the underpass could have been averted,” the official explained.

He added that though a team of the consultants had inspected the pumps manufactured by a well-known private firm on June 20, their installation at the site was delayed.

“The order for the procurement of pumps was placed on March 17 but the manufacturing of the pumps by the company faced delay allegedly due to certain restrictions on imports. But, before the start of the monsoon, the pumps were finally manufactured and inspected by the consultant. However, they were not installed, leading to the flooding of the underpass.”

To a question, the official said the Punjab government, on receiving the inquiry report, had warned all the project authorities (the project owner, the consultant and the contractor) to remain vigilant in the future to avert such incidents.

The Kalma Chowk Remodelling Project, completed recently, is the only mega project in Punjab capital that has three underpasses– an underpass leading straight towards liberty roundabout from Barkat Market (Garden Town), another underpass/tunnel connecting the Central Business District and the centre point underpass leading towards Firdaus Market via Ali Zeb Road.

The Rs5bn project was opened for traffic in the first week of May.

On the other hand, the Punjab Central Business Development Authority (PCBDDA) has installed seven temporary drainage pumps on an emergent basis to effectively deal with the expected rainfall during the monsoon. The pumps will ensure efficient water drainage and minimise the risk of water accumulation at the Kalma Chowk underpass.

According to a spokesman, two pumps having nine cusecs capacity had been installed at the underpass and they had generator back-up in case of the outage of electricity. Another pump has been installed at the Saint Mary’s Park while the Ali Zaib Road has three pumps of 15 cusecs, providing effective rainwater drainage. Furthermore, the contractor (NLC) has also received three pumps of eight cusecs each, which would also be installed within the next 24 hours.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2023