RAPID and unplanned urbanisation is one of the major reasons behind the threat of urban flooding that Islamabad, the federal capital, has been facing in recent years. Since the turbulent ‘cloud burst’ a couple of years ago that left massive portions of the city inundated, many have been advising the relevant authorities to take measures to address the pressing issue of urban flooding. However, nothing concrete has materialised.

Other than the global phenomenon of climate change, the spike in urban population, illegal encroachments, and consistent deforestation have converted the capital city into something of a ‘heat island’. There is a dearth of relevant data, and whatever data is available has been made use of. The government, with the help of donor agencies, must make allocations for collecting data, and putting it to proper use. Without knowing what we are dealing with, there is hardly any chance of betterment.

Better technology must be utilised to simulate floods to manage them in real time, particularly in the hotspots. Early warning mechanisms will be a game-changer in preventing losses. The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) must be revamped via risk communication. Most importantly, socioeconomic pathways must be explored to rectify economic, social, institutional and other vulnerabilities. We must take a bottom-up approach to better understand and incorporate communities. Risk perception must be rectified via education and community-based programmes.

Horizontal and vertical linkages among institutions and sectors is a major hurdle in the way of policy implementation. Instead of falling into the blame-game trap, we must encourage accountability across the board. What we need is a proactive approach to pre-empt the threat of urban flooding rather than wasting resources on damage control post-event.

Soha Nisar
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2024