Lahore rains

Two days of incessant rain – estimated to be the most rain the city has received since 1980 – caused at least 15 deaths in Lahore and brought life in the city to a complete standstill. There was standing water of three feet on the roads, frequent power outbreaks and building collapses. Given the unprecedented nature of the rainfall, it is understandable that the local government would struggle to some extent. But it also no secret that most cities in the country are not equipped to deal with even normal monsoon rains. In an election month, political parties were instantly searching for someone to blame. The PTI and other opposition parties held the PML-N responsible since the previous government of Shahbaz Sharif had often boasted of its development in the province, particularly in Lahore. Shahbaz himself said the fault was entirely that of the caretaker government and that it was negligent in clearing storm drains, something he claimed it needed to do at least a month before the monsoon season. As unseemly as it was to immediately start playing the blame game when millions of people were without electricity and stranded in their homes, it is important to identify where mistakes were made and who is at fault so that those responsible can be held accountable and steps are taken to avoid such calamities in the future.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The PML-N has been in charge of Punjab for the last 10 years and it has become clear that Shahbaz Sharif’s boasts about infrastructural development are not entirely free of exaggeration. For all the roads and flyovers that have been built, when the city essentially collapses under the strain of heavy rain then those who have been in charge for a decade have to take more than some responsibility for the problem. But the caretaker setup should have made better arrangements for the monsoon season. In previous years, Lahore’s response to heavy rainfall has never been perfect but still not as badly handled as it was this time. Storm water drains are routinely used as garbage depositories and the time to clean them is long before the rains arrive. The city needed to have evacuation plans and ways to transport people to hospitals. The chaos on the streets of Lahore is an indictment both of the lack of long-term planning in the city and the inability of authorities to act decisively in a crisis.