Is just climate change to blame for the mayhem of urban flooding, or does human lacking also play a major part in it? Is it a natural disa...
Is just climate change to blame for the mayhem of urban flooding, or does human lacking also play a major part in it? Is it a natural disaster that we can't prevent, or is it because of the criminal negligence of the authorities? Are climatic conditions getting worsened, or are we becoming more resilient?
Written by Tehreem Khursheed
As monsoon season arrives in Pakistan, people muster up their courage to face not only floods - but the urban floods. Combined with global climate change, the unplanned urban sprawl and overburdened drainage cause what we witness every year - the urban flooding that lashes cities far worse every time. The same script is repeated on the news channels - perhaps with more severity and increased death toll.
Here the questions arise: Is just climate change
to blame for the mayhem of urban flooding, or does human lacking also play a
major part in it?
Is it a natural disaster that we can't prevent,
or is it because of the criminal negligence of the authorities?
Are climatic conditions getting worsened, or are we becoming more resilient?
These are the mysteries begging our attention to be solved.
Why is downpour drenching the financial hub "Karachi" every year?
An old expression is, "When it rains, it pours."
But as climate change is altering the weather landscape of the world, this expression has acquired a new meaning. Extreme temperatures are boosting the water cycle, resulting in heavier rainfalls. And then it lashes urban districts - where there is no system to drain the surface runoff. So it gushes into homes and neighbourhoods, destroying livelihoods and hindering economic activities in the metropolis for several days.
Generally, it is a blessing to have such heavy rains in a country like Pakistan, which is on the verge of an extreme water crisis. But due to lacking management, authorities who do not have foresight, and do not even have the drive to make betterment in the system, all of the rainwater that should fill dried lakes, rivers, and dams get stuck into the clogged drainage system and lashes into residential areas. This localised flooding jams life for many days in Karachi, destroying hundreds of valuable human lives, businesses, and infrastructure.
Every monsoon, Karachities get water on their roads but not in their taps. Irony!
Is climate change the real reason behind severe urban floods?
Although climate change is impacting the world badly, it is worth mentioning that the factor behind all of the alterations in climate is human intervention. Rapid deforestation, emission of greenhouse gases, and burning of fossil fuels are causing global warming. Therefore every natural phenomenon intensifies (whether it is rains, droughts, winters, or summers). Scientists predict that the more the earth's temperature rises, the harder the rains.
Why is inland flooding deadlier?
Do you know it only takes six inches of moving water to knock you off your foot?
Balochistan is on the pinnacle of misery:
This tale of misery is not confined to comparatively developed cities like Karachi or Lahore. The situation gets worsens as you move to the sidelined regions.
The visuals we got from Balochistan are far more heart-wrenching than any other area of Pakistan. The havoc and misery its residents are getting through are unimaginable. 120+ people died from the flash floods, and many got displaced from their hometowns.
The damaged roads, destroyed mud housings, and infrastructure can be built again somehow, but who is responsible for the trauma they are going through, and how will they get out of its detrimental long-term aftereffects? That's another real issue to ponder over.
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