Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has directed the imposition of a ban on all new construction alongside rivers, irrigation canals, and water nullahs in the province along with the launching of an effective crackdown against existing illegal encroachments. While chairing a high-level meeting regarding the anti-encroachment drive in the province, the Chief Minister directed the authorities not to accept any political pressure or interference in this regard. The CM ordered the enforcement of Section 144 against the construction of new houses, hotels, and other commercial and non-commercial infrastructure alongside waterways including River Swat, River Panjkora, River Kunhar, and canals of the Irrigation Department across the province. Chief Minister made it clear to relevant authorities that there should be no leniency regarding encroachments, and no department will issue NOC for the construction of a new infrastructure near waterways, so this menace can be controlled in the future.
The encroachment is a social evil, which lost its meaning and has become customary in our society. At present, it is a common problem in all cities, towns, and even villages have no exemption from this menace of encroachment and illegal constructions on government land. In fact, most people try to extend their floors, roofs, or driveways in the streets/roads along with illegal construction on rivers banks, canal-side, or water Nullahs, while, land grabbing, illegal construction, and encroachment are grave issues in all cities across Pakistan. Currently, the encroachment has shaped a serious social, administrative, and security problem in the Country and recently it has been identified as a significant reason for urban flooding and heavy life losses in hilly areas where people had made illegal constructions on river banks and Nullahs which restricted the flow of rainwater and caused floods in mega cities like Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad in the recent past. Presently, encroachment poses a grave challenge for the government, while the relevant government departments and their employees are equally responsible for making up for this upheaval. The recent floods have intensified the gravity of the problems many folds during which illegal construction and encroachment blocked the waterways and sewerage lanes/ Nallahs in cities.
Floods are seasonal and recurrent phenomena that usually occur after intervals and experts have forecasted annual torrential floods in Pakistan in the coming years because of depending effects of climate change in the world. The KP government has initiated an anti-encroachment drive in the province which must be followed by the other provinces including Azad Kashmir and GB, so encroachment could be removed from the waterways and sewerage lines across the country to reduce the risks associated with monsoon rains in the future.
The government should adopt a strict policy on the issue which should include legislations to curb this menace, a reprisal of the people involved in the crime along with strict disciplinary action against corrupt government officials and negligent departments. So this menace can be curbed once and for all and the grave risks of future catastrophic floods could be neutralized in a timely manner.
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