n February 28, heavy rainfall started in Gwadar town, the linchpin in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The downpour lasted over 30 hours. It unleashed flash floods, submerging the city under 180mm of rain. The catastrophe not only exposed the flawed infrastructure of Gwadar but also highlighted the challenges facing the emerging port city in the face of climate change and rapid development.

Gwadar woke up to a scene of destruction. The rainwater had ravaged the city, leaving in its wake a trail of collapsed buildings, inundated homes and severely damaged roads. The water, in the absence of adequate drainage, flowed into crowded neighborhoods and caused a lot of damage. The district administration said that around 700 houses were damaged. However, the locals said that more than half of the houses in Gwadar were affected due to the rainwater.

Despite the extensive material loss, it was a minor miracle that no lives were lost in the city. However, the floods left a significant portion of the city’s infrastructure in a shambles. It has been estimated that 60 per cent of the houses now require repairs. The city’s sanitation infrastructure, including toilet pits, was severely damaged, posing serious health risks to the residents, mostly poor fishermen.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited Gwadar, signaling the government’s commitment to address the disaster. He announced financial assistance for the affected families, including compensation for the deceased, the injured, and those whose houses were destroyed. Additionally, compensation was announced by the Balochistan government for damage to 83 boats, a crucial livelihood source for many in Gwadar, underscoring the economic blow to the community.

The disaster in Gwadar was not merely an act of nature but a consequence of years of neglect and flawed urban planning. Gwadar had faced a similar situation in 2008 and 2010 when heavy rainfall devastated city infrastructure. However, no improvement was made in the infrastructural capacity of the town to withstand any such rainfalls in the future.

As per locals, there are two primary causes of massive rainwater flooding in Gwadar. Nasir Rahim Sohrabi, head of Gwadar’s Rural Community Development Council, told The News on Sunday that the absence of a drainage system in Gwadar caused the catastrophe. He added that the municipal infrastructure in the old town was grossly inadequate.

Sohrabi said Gwadar was bounded by sea on two sides. Naturally, the rainwater in Gwadar flows into the sea on both sides. Over recent years, Marine Drive road has been built on the western side and Eastbay Expressway on the eastern side of Gwadar’s coast. These roads notably obstruct the natural outflow of water, creating a bottleneck that contributed significantly to the flooding. “Both these roads have blocked the natural waterway of rainwater into the sea. This blockage contributes to the rapid accumulation of floodwater,” he added. Sohrabi further said that apart from these roads, the people have also built homes and other structures, which have blocked waterways further exacerbating the situation.

The disaster in Gwadar was not merely an act of nature but a consequence of years of neglect and flawed urban planning. Gwadar had faced a similar situation in 2008 and 2010 when heavy rainfall devastated city infrastructure. However, no improvement was made in the infrastructural capacity of the town to withstand such rainfalls in the future.

Most locals blame the Gwadar Development Authority for the damage caused due to rainwater. The GDA, tasked with the city’s urban planning and infrastructure development, has come under scrutiny for its inability to address these issues. Despite the clear need for an overhaul, there has been a lack of action towards developing a functional drainage system despite the experiences of 2008 and 2010 rainfalls. Locals believe that the pre-GDA system in Gwadar where usual provincial departments functioned was more effective than the current GDA-led development regime in the port town.

The post-flood situation in Gwadar has created several challenges for multiple stakeholders. First, the flooding in Gwadar poses significant political and economic challenges, particularly concerning the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The city is a critical node in this ambitious project and the government has promoted it as the Singapore of the future. However, this disaster has cast a shadow over its future prospects. The government’s focus on new CPEC projects while neglecting the existing infrastructure in the old town has drawn criticism, highlighting a misalignment of priorities. The situation is a test for the government and the GDA.

Second, the situation in Gwadar is also a challenge for the newly elected MPA Maulana Hidayat-ur Rehman. The charismatic leader of the fishermen of Gwadar came to the limelight through two major sit-in protests that he led in 2021 and 2022 under the banner of the Gwadar Rights Movement. The success of the protests galvanised Gwadar’s fishermen community around the Maulana, who has now been elected to the Provincial Assembly. The damage caused by this flood is the first test for the Maulana to use his political clout to ensure that the people of Gwadar get the required relief. He understands this challenge and has been active during the visits of the prime minister and the chief minister, trying to extract enough concessions for the people of Gwadar.

This catastrophe in Gwadar is a wake-up call for all stakeholders. It underscores the urgent need for comprehensive urban planning that incorporates climate resilience and sustainable development practices. The government must prioritise the development of a robust drainage system to mitigate the impact of future rains. Additionally, there is a need for a holistic approach to urban development that balances the growth spurred by the CPEC with the well-being of the local community.

The floods in Gwadar have laid bare the consequences of inadequate urban planning and the vulnerabilities of rapidly developing cities to climate-induced disasters. As Gwadar strives to realise its potential as a key economic hub, it must also confront the challenges of building a resilient and sustainable urban infrastructure. The path forward requires a concerted effort from the government, the GDA and the community to ensure that Gwadar can withstand the tests of nature and time. The February 28 rain may have exposed the city’s flaws, but it is also an opportunity for renewal and reimagining Gwadar’s future.

The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad. He is the lead contributing writer for Nikkei Asia in Pakistan. His X handle is @iAdnanAamir