Encroachments heighten threat of urban flooding
According to reports received by the Express Tribune, over 829 illegal encroachments have been recorded on rivers, streams, and other natural water passages across the province, obstructing the flow of water. Multan Zone had the highest number of encroachments, 676, while Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions recorded 153 encroachments. These encroachments have intensified the risk of urban flooding in low-lying areas.
Under the Irrigation, Drainage and River Act 2023, interfering with natural waterways or undertaking unauthorized construction is a punishable offense. However, enforcement on the ground remains weak. Experts are of the opinion that residential and commercial construction near rivers has significantly reduced floodplains, impeding the natural flow of water.
Over 114 people have lost their lives while hundreds of others have been injured due to heavy monsoon rains and floods hitting Punjab over the past one month. Affected districts include Chakwal, Rawalpindi and Mandi Bahauddin, where critical infrastructure has also suffered major damage.
Urban planning expert Sani Zahra stated that the primary reason behind flooding in major cities was their outdated and insufficient sewerage system. 'For example, in Lahore, more than 40 per cent of drainage lines are either blocked or inadequate for the growing population while several drains have also been overtaken by illegal construction, causing rainwater to accumulate on the streets and roads,' noted Zahra.
Conversely, Dr Zulfiqar Ali, an environmentalist, noted that due to climate change, monsoons had become more intense. 'Rising temperatures increase atmospheric moisture, leading to more frequent cloudbursts and heavy rains. Additionally, more than 7,000 glaciers in the north are rapidly melting, causing flash floods and surges in streams and rivers. Rampant deforestation and unplanned construction in hilly areas have further intensified flooding. Over the last two decades, Punjab has lost 30 per cent of its forest cover, resulting in soil erosion and increased river silt, which narrows the waterways, exacerbating flooding,' explained Dr Ali.
Between 2020 and 2025, more than 400 people lost their lives in Punjab due to rain and flood-related incidents, with financial losses estimated to exceed Rs75 billion. The most devastating year was 2022, when 15 districts were affected, 223 deaths were reported, and damages surpassed Rs200 billion. Many believe that 2025 is proving to be yet another disastrous year after 2022, with extreme weather patterns worsened by human negligence.
Hence experts advocate the need for both short and long-term measures to address the climate crisis, including the removal of encroachments from water channels, installation of modern drainage systems, reforestation, and climate-resilient disaster management plans. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has initiated work on integrated sewerage and flood drainage systems in 189 cities, with an allocation of Rs500 billion.
Syed Zahid Aziz, Head of the Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company, claimed that 13 rainwater storage ponds were being built in Lahore to raise groundwater levels. 'Additionally, separate pipelines for sewerage and rainwater are being laid, with the new systems in Lahore capable of handling up to 200mm of rainfall,' informed Aziz.
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Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Encroachments heighten threat of urban flooding
While climate change can be considered the obvious reason behind extreme weather patterns, the scale of damage reported across multiple major cities across Punjab in the aftermath of the recent monsoon rains appears to have its roots in something much more sinister. According to reports received by the Express Tribune, over 829 illegal encroachments have been recorded on rivers, streams, and other natural water passages across the province, obstructing the flow of water. Multan Zone had the highest number of encroachments, 676, while Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions recorded 153 encroachments. These encroachments have intensified the risk of urban flooding in low-lying areas. Under the Irrigation, Drainage and River Act 2023, interfering with natural waterways or undertaking unauthorized construction is a punishable offense. However, enforcement on the ground remains weak. Experts are of the opinion that residential and commercial construction near rivers has significantly reduced floodplains, impeding the natural flow of water. Over 114 people have lost their lives while hundreds of others have been injured due to heavy monsoon rains and floods hitting Punjab over the past one month. Affected districts include Chakwal, Rawalpindi and Mandi Bahauddin, where critical infrastructure has also suffered major damage. Urban planning expert Sani Zahra stated that the primary reason behind flooding in major cities was their outdated and insufficient sewerage system. 'For example, in Lahore, more than 40 per cent of drainage lines are either blocked or inadequate for the growing population while several drains have also been overtaken by illegal construction, causing rainwater to accumulate on the streets and roads,' noted Zahra. Conversely, Dr Zulfiqar Ali, an environmentalist, noted that due to climate change, monsoons had become more intense. 'Rising temperatures increase atmospheric moisture, leading to more frequent cloudbursts and heavy rains. Additionally, more than 7,000 glaciers in the north are rapidly melting, causing flash floods and surges in streams and rivers. Rampant deforestation and unplanned construction in hilly areas have further intensified flooding. Over the last two decades, Punjab has lost 30 per cent of its forest cover, resulting in soil erosion and increased river silt, which narrows the waterways, exacerbating flooding,' explained Dr Ali. Between 2020 and 2025, more than 400 people lost their lives in Punjab due to rain and flood-related incidents, with financial losses estimated to exceed Rs75 billion. The most devastating year was 2022, when 15 districts were affected, 223 deaths were reported, and damages surpassed Rs200 billion. Many believe that 2025 is proving to be yet another disastrous year after 2022, with extreme weather patterns worsened by human negligence. Hence experts advocate the need for both short and long-term measures to address the climate crisis, including the removal of encroachments from water channels, installation of modern drainage systems, reforestation, and climate-resilient disaster management plans. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has initiated work on integrated sewerage and flood drainage systems in 189 cities, with an allocation of Rs500 billion. Syed Zahid Aziz, Head of the Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company, claimed that 13 rainwater storage ponds were being built in Lahore to raise groundwater levels. 'Additionally, separate pipelines for sewerage and rainwater are being laid, with the new systems in Lahore capable of handling up to 200mm of rainfall,' informed Aziz.
Express Tribune
7 days ago
- Express Tribune
Homeless people scramble for survival
Listen to article Most of the people habitually complaining of the harsh weather or loadshedding schedule are comfortably resting on their memory foam mattresses in their air-conditioned rooms at night. However, for the homeless people spending their nights desperately seeking shelter while escaping police crackdowns, sleep takes over before they can even think about complaining. During the tenure of the previous elected government, Panah Gah or night shelter homes were established to help homeless people sleep safely at night. However, over the last three years, the Punjab government has shut down these facilities, as a result of which homeless people sleeping on roads and sidewalks are exposed to harsh weather conditions during the winter and summer months. In just Lahore alone, nearly 1,700 homeless people have lost their lives over the past three years. A homeless couple, Inam and Asiya, who now sleep near Lal Pul along the canal, shared their experience. 'A few years ago, we used to go to a shelter near the railway station at night where we'd get a bed and food. Then we'd go back to work the next morning. But for the last three years, the shelters have been shut. We've made a temporary place near Lal Pul. Sometimes the police hassle us, and we change our spot for a day or two. Although we can manage during the day, nights are our biggest enemy,' shared the couple. Edhi Foundation spokesperson Muhammad Younis Bhatti confirmed that the death rate among those sleeping on footpaths during the winter and summer months has significantly increased over the past three years, mainly due to the lack of shelters. 'Previously, shelters provided 8 to 10 hours of rest daily, but their closure has complicated the situation. In the summer, the footpaths are searing, while in winter, the frost intensifies the cold. Hence a spike in death occurs during these three to five months,' noted Bhatti. Read More: At least 12 killed, six injured in Lahore as rain lashes city According to sources of the Express Tribune, the highest number of unidentified deaths are reported from areas including Data Darbar, Bhati Gate, Tibbi City, Qila Gujar Singh, Muslim Town, Kahna, Shahdara, Kot Lakhpat, Lari Adda, Mozang, and Garden Town. While more than 170 permanent and temporary shelter homes were built across Punjab, including 13 in Lahore, there is now only one functional shelter home each in Multan, D.G. Khan, Taunsa Sharif, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, and Sargodha, and just six remain operational in Lahore. Director Social Welfare, Muzammil Yaar, revealed that more than 50 per cent of the shelter homes were initially built in collaboration with philanthropists, but over time, most of them were closed. 'Even some of the shelters originally run by the Social Welfare Department have been shut down. A shelter home has a staff of over 10 people and caters to over a 100 people daily. The government has not allocated a significant budget to expand the shelter network. As a result, in Lahore and across Punjab, the closure of shelters over the past three years has directly contributed to the rising death toll among homeless individuals, especially those exposed to harsh weather or struggling with drug addiction,' conceded Yaar. 'A significant percentage of deaths reported among the homeless occur due to drug abuse, which is worsened by extreme weather. Many of these individuals become addicted simply to kill time, and in the past three years, drug abuse among them has increased by over 40 per cent,' claimed Syed Zulfiqar Hussain, a drug rehabilitation consultant. In the meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Punjab government claimed that although in the past, temporary arrangements were made for sheltering homeless people, the current government was working on a permanent solution to the problem.
Express Tribune
02-03-2025
- Express Tribune
Diminishing greenery triggers high temperatures
In earlier times, people would differentiate Lahore from the southern parts of the country on the basis of its lush green plains and dense tree plantations however, as greenery continues to be replaced by fancy constructions, the day is not far when insufferable temperatures will force locals to evacuate the land of concrete. As per data obtained by the Express Tribune, the temperature of the city is three to four degrees higher than the nearby rural areas, while during the next 50 years, the average temperature in the city is predicted to increase by 4.7 degrees Celsius in summers and 5.2 degrees Celsius in winters. In May 2024, Lahore's average temperature was recorded at 49 degrees Celsius. According to a report published by the Urban Unit Punjab, in the year 2000, the concrete area in the city was 438 square kilometers, which has expanded to 759 square kilometers over the past 20 years. Similarly, the greenery, which covered 1,550 hectares of land in 2001, decreased to 1,298 hectares in 2022. Furthermore, Lahore's agricultural area has decreased by 287 square kilometers in the same time frame. Experts are of the opinion that the alarming changes can be attributed to the rapidly decreasing green spaces in the city, which are no longer protecting the area and its inhabitants from environmental pollution, extreme heat, and health problems. Environmental protection lawyer, Altamas Saeed opined that cutting trees and replacing greenery with concrete jungles had not only increased air pollution but had also worsened smog and heat intensity. 'Due to the lack of greenery, respiratory diseases and mental stress are common among the locals, while the environment is also suffering thanks to increasing temperatures. The destruction of natural habitats has also endangered wildlife, while the beauty and tourism of Lahore are also being negatively affected,' highlighted Saeed. Over the past three months, air pollution levels in different parts of Lahore have been alarmingly high. In November 2024, the city's average air quality index was recorded at 625, making Lahore one of the most polluted cities in the world. In December 2024, the average AQI reached 521, while in some areas the level was recorded at 916. At the end of the same month, the city's average AQI was 329, with Raiwind Road recording the highest at 578. To add to the worrying climate crisis, there are currently around 400 small and big housing societies in the city, of which around 271 are illegal or partially violating the laws. According to sources, many green areas including Kahna, Barki, Wagah, Bedian have been converted into concrete jungles with the connivance of the authorities, who are allowing the construction of these new societies. Dr Salman Tariq from the Department of Environment at the University of Punjab explained that trees and vegetation absorbed carbon dioxide and produced oxygen. 'Air pollution, especially smog, is on the rise due to reduced green areas in Lahore. Green areas naturally balance temperatures, but their depletion is creating the Urban Heat Island effect, which is increasing the intensity of heat. Trees absorb rainwater and prevent soil erosion. Therefore, deforestation is also increasing the possibility of flooding,' said Dr Tariq. Hence, experts have warned that the loss of trees and greenery can annihilate the natural habitat of birds, butterflies, and other animals, due to which their populations will decrease. Therefore, they have suggested that trees should be planted on a large scale, while strict laws should be made to protect parks and greenery, and concretization should be limited. Unfortunately, if the destruction of greenery is not halted, the city will become uninhabitable for the future generations.
