NAROWAL: One to two feet of water accumulated in Narowal city following an hour of torrential rain.

The city, which has not seen regular cleaning of its sewage system for five years, begins to flood as the rain overwhelms blocked drains.

Between 2019 and 2024, Narowal’s sewerage system was not maintained, resulting in up to 70 per cent blockage. Consequently, dirty water now pools on roads and streets, and it can take between seven to fifteen days to clear these obstructions.

Locals Kamran Shahzad and Mirza Kaleemullah say rainwater lingers on streets for hours. Abdul Hanan and Shahroz Ahmed said that two days ago, after just an hour of rain, several roads were submerged, trapping residents in their homes amid foul-smelling water.

Ali Asjad and Muhammad Farooq recalled that five years ago, a regular campaign to clean the sewage system was undertaken before the rains.

They accused district administration and municipal committee officers of staying in their air-conditioned offices instead of addressing the sewage issues.

They also criticised the district administration for failing to implement any regular measures for rainwater drainage, despite Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz establishing flood relief camps in cities.

Residents have strongly protested against the perceived laziness and incompetence of the district administration and municipal committee.

Municipal Committee Chief Officer Muhammad Sardar said the sewage system on Girls College Road was blocked and efforts were being made to clean the pipelines and drains.

Attempts to contact Deputy Commissioner Syed Hasan Raza for comment were unsuccessful.

Residents are demanding immediate action from the chief minister to address the situation.

bikers kill boy: A 10-year-old boy was killed by unknown bikers here on Wednesday at Danike Nagra in Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot.

Reports said Samiullah was standing along the road when four unknown armed motorcycle riders suddenly opened fire on him. The child was seriously injured and died on the spot due to his critical injuries. The assailants fled the scene on motorcycles, brandishing their weapons.

After receipt of information, Pasrur Saddar police arrived at the scene. They took the body into custody and shifted it to Pasrur Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for postmortem examination.

The family claimed to have no enmity.

Sialkot district police spokesman inspector Najam Faraz was not available for version.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2024