Motorway project, construction activity ‘contributed to flooding’ in Gujrat
GUJRAT: The Kharian-Sambrial motorway’s route, including some portions on the bed of storm water channels, and construction activity might have disturbed the natural flow of the water, causing the urban flooding in Gujrat city.
Almost all the main roads, government offices and residential and commercial areas were submerged with the water for the third consecutive day. After heavy rains for at least 27 hours from Sept 2 to 4, the city could not get rid of the floodwater. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also inspected the situation during her visit to the city on Friday.
A senior official of land revenue department who has been overseeing the plugging of the water flow from Daulat Nagar, a small town near Kharian-Sambrial motorway route for the last three days, told Dawn the department’s initial inquiry about the massive water flow towards the city found that the traditional flow of water of the some storm water channels had been disturbed due to the construction work on the motorway.
He added this was only the second time in the two years that the floodwater of storm water channels had caused the massive urban flooding, which had never happened before in the history of Gujrat.
“However this year, the intensity of water flow exceeded 10 times, making it almost impossible to the local administration to stop the massive inflow whereas the capacity of the existing skeleton of sewerage and drainage system of the city is not made to cater to such a huge flooding water,” the official said on condition of not to be named.
Revenue dept’s inquiry finds natural flow of storm water channels was disturbed.
He said some temporary solutions were tried to stop the flow but they were not enough to block that water coming from at least 20 to 25 kilometers away from the city. He said that had there been alternate solutions for the water flows, such a massive flooding could have been averted as a large population of the city and its surrounding rural populations had suffered huge losses.
Some residents of Shahpur and Fatehpur have told Dawn that some influential figures had also disturbed the water flow with the illegal encroachments and construction activities on the route of water flow in the vicinity.
Meanwhile, the residents of different city areas remained besieged by the flood water that had become stagnant.
The officials of Rescue 1122, district administration, police and volunteers of Al-Khidmat Foundation and other organisations, are continuing their operations to evacuate the stranded people from their houses through boats, tractor-trolleys and other vehicles. Food was also distributed by the local administration and the NGOs in the city areas as the people faced shortage of food, milk and drinking water.
CM Maryam Nawaz along with Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Nurulain Qureshi visited Fawara Chowk, one of the worst affected localities in the heart of the Gujrat city. The CM inspected the gravity of the situation and directed the authorities concerned to use all kind of resources to clear the urban flooding.
Punjab secretary housing Noorul Amin Mengal, secretary communication and works department C&W, director general Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Irfan Ali Kathia and other senior officials spent a busy day in Gujrat and monitored the efforts to block the water flow towards the city.
Major diversions have been made near Loraiy Chowk, Nathowal and Malhu Khokhar.
However, the water flow towards the city has started receding but official sources said that it might take another couple of days to clear the water from the city.