Urban flood crisis in Pakistan result of governance failure: Report

Islamabad, Oct 13 (IANS) Pakistan’s urban flood crisis is not merely an environmental or infrastructural challenge but a governance failure, a report said on Monday.

It added that the lack of foresight, weak accountability, and disregard for natural systems have left cities vulnerable to collapse at the first sign of rain.

“The images of Pakistan’s largest cities drowning in knee-deep water during monsoon season are no longer shocking—they have become routine. For residents of Karachi, Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Kasur, and countless other urban centres, the monsoon is not a season of relief but one of dread,” a report in Bangladeshi newspaper Asian Age detailed.

“Streets turn into rivers, homes are inundated, transport collapses, and public life grinds to a halt. The causes of this recurring disaster are not a mystery. Experts have been warning for decades: Pakistan’s cities suffer from a chronic lack of urban planning, particularly in the management of rainwater and natural drainage flows,” it added.

According to the report, Pakistan's development approach seems to be driven by the guiding principle of “build wherever possible, and worry about consequences later.” Roads, housing schemes, and commercial projects emerge on any available land, often with limited concern for how rainwater will flow.

“Cheap plots lying in natural waterways are quickly snapped up for construction, then sold at handsome profits. Drainage systems, if considered at all, are rudimentary and often non-functional. The outcome is predictable: natural channels are obstructed, storm drains are blocked, and rainwater pools into stagnant lakes across low-lying areas,” the report stressed.

“Behind every image of submerged cars and waterlogged streets lies the human cost of this systemic negligence. Daily wage earners are unable to work, children cannot attend schools, and families lose possessions accumulated over the years. Public health crises follow swiftly, as stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for disease. For millions, the monsoon is not just an inconvenience—it is a season of trauma,” it stated.

The report asserted that the psychological toll is equally devastating, with urban residents gripped by constant fear of rainfall, a natural event that should bring relief but rather signals impending disaster.

It said, citizens are forced to adopt survival strategies, from raising furniture and sealing doors to simply fleeing their homes, while officials offer little beyond empty assurances.

“The situation reflects a broader pattern in Pakistan’s governance culture: reactive firefighting instead of proactive planning, ad-hoc measures instead of institutional reform. Every monsoon season, political leaders rush to inspect flooded areas, issue statements of concern, and promise ‘comprehensive strategies’ that never materialise,” the report noted.

--IANS

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