Rawalpindi : For over three weeks, Rawalpindi’s top bureaucrats and elected representatives have been making a spectacle around Nullah Leh, claiming to be hard at work protecting residents from the annual monsoon floods. Yet, the same story plays out year after year: as the pre-monsoon rains approach, the 500,000 people living along the 18-kilometer stretch of Nullah Leh and its 10 tributaries are left to face the deadly consequences of urban flooding.
This year, the situation has been no different. Panic gripped the poor residents, with heavy rains causing alarm bells to ring daily. The water level in Nullah Leh rose dangerously, reaching 25 feet at Katarian and 22 feet at Gwalmandi, creating a dire situation. In response, the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner imposed a ‘Rain Emergency,’ instructing residents to evacuate the area—a temporary fix to a perennial problem.
Ironically, these same officials, who have now turned Nullah Leh into the epicenter of their attention, barely set foot near it during the rest of the year. The monsoon season, however, sees them flocking to the site for photo ops, eager to show that they are taking action to prevent urban flooding. The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), which has notoriously failed to curb the unchecked spread of illegal housing societies, has suddenly sprung into action. The Director General of the RDA has ordered a crackdown on encroachments along Nullah Leh, but the timing of this initiative raises questions. Where was the RDA throughout the year when these encroachments were steadily growing? The residents can only wonder.
In another example of bureaucratic inefficiency, 62 meetings regarding the Leh Expressway project were held in the Commissioner’s office, yet no concrete progress was made. In an attempt to reduce the project’s cost, the Punjab government has decided to scrap the original plan devised by the previous government. Instead, the focus has shifted to flood mitigation during the monsoon season, separating storm water from Margalla Hills and the sewage of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. However, this piecemeal approach does little to address the root causes of flooding. No one is genuinely committed to finding a permanent solution to urban flooding in Rawalpindi. The monsoon may bring the bureaucracy and politicians to Nullah Leh, but once the rains subside, so does their interest in the issue.
Historically, Nullah Leh was a clean water source, flowing from the Margalla Hills through Islamabad before merging into the Sawan River. It was once 300 to 700 meters wide, but encroachments have since narrowed it to just 500 meters. What was once a small river providing clean water between 1800 and 1920 has become a foul-smelling drain. Historians note that the water was once so clean that Muslims used it for ablution, and Hindus performed rituals by immersing cremated ashes. The area along the banks was home to the Aryans, and the 300-year-old Arya Mohalla in Rawalpindi is named after them.
Since the 1970s, Nullah Leh has experienced 14 major floods, with the most devastating occurring in 1971, 1975, 1987, 1990, 1995, and 2001. The 1971 floods killed 26 people, destroyed 59 houses, and claimed hundreds of cattle. The 2001 floods were even worse, killing 96 people, destroying 310 buildings, and wiping out 350 cattle. Despite these tragedies, every government response has been the same: big promises in the wake of disaster, followed by inaction. Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Engineer Aamir Khattak claims to have ordered the removal of all encroachments along Nullah Leh and instructed residents to relocate to safer areas. However, Rawalpindi’s residents remain sceptical, demanding that the government take the issue seriously before it’s too late. They are tired of empty promises, photo sessions, and paper exercises. They need a lasting solution to the flooding that threatens their lives and homes every year.
