(Dedicated to legal advisor Mirza Zia Ur Rehman)
In keeping with the tradition, it was decided to meet again on the last Wednesday of the month at the Tollinton Market, members of the reincarnated Conservation Society, Lahore braved the heaviest downpour in recent memory. Andhi aye ya toofaan, diya jalae rakhna is the proverbial appeal. A number well above the required quorum gathered to endorse the last meeting’s minutes. They then proceeded to select twelve board members which mutually was consented without any contest and reposed trust in Dr. Ajaz Anwar as President and Mr. Muhammad Javed as vice President.
Many stranded members sent their inability messages to come over due to inclement weather. It was found necessary to ponder over the recent threat to Cultural Heritage of the city posed by the self-proclaimed powers however interim that be. The usurpation of department of Archaeology by the Walled City Authority too was discussed. Everybody seemed worried over the fate of the World Heritage sites in Pakistan. A UNESCO meeting in Paris has already recommended putting Venice on heritage on the danger list due to increased tourism and climate change. Human intervention, continued development activities in form of high rise apartments causing irreversible damage. Finding the measures taken by the Italian government as insufficient, they shall further discuss the issues in the meeting to be held at Riyadh during the incoming September. Even though some delinquent had scribbled on the walls of the house of a damsel: Mariana ti amo.
As the downpour increased its velocity, the subject matter of the discussions shifted focus because Lahore too presented the look of Venice where the roads seemed to have been submerged to form canals from the great lagoon. The vehicles plying looked more like the Venetian gondolas. One lone Lahori tonga seemed to defy all odds. Its shimmering chrome orange colour and the proud brown horse seemed to claim a comeback. Although defeated by the chingchi it was successfully demonstrating its utility in the flooded streets. This is our gondola being chased by the children whose prayers for the rains had been answered a bit too much. Kaalian itaan kale roar, min barsaa de zor o zor.
Though the newly once again repaired Tollinton market hall showed only some leaking points but a peep and peek through the windows was a very wet view. It was raining very heavily. The traffic was jam packed and soon water accumulated on all over the Mall. There were telephonic reports that the entire city was inundated. Liquids maintain their level they say, but it defied all laws of liquid state physics. It was not Climate Change rather a manmade disaster. Most of this part of Punjab was leaking and the earth was not willing to absorb more of the moisture.
One had to look around for the environmental breakdowns. The Walled City was built over a man-made mound thus the highest point was where Paani wala talaab was built for distribution of water. In Istanbul too, Taksim is the highest point in the natural terrain. While the hilly topography of Ottoman capital allowed the water from the rains/snows to flow quickly, in the walled city of Lahore too water quickly escaped into the natural drains. The expansion outside the obsolete city walls too was properly planned in the linear design. To store the rain water which is purest form of H2O and called blue gold has been collected in village ponds since the days of the Indus Valley. Water tank of Queens/Warris road has long since filled up with debris to be used to build a plaza in its place at an opportune moment, even though it is Evacuee Trust property. The tank can be restored with minimum of the cost to deter designs of evil encroachers.
All natural rainwater channels were retained and further incorporated in the drainage system. The canal is life line of the local flora and fauna and irrigated most green belts. Another tributary from the old Ravi to further supplied water as well as absorbed waste water. Small tributaries form the canal irrigated all the fresh water drains along the Mall, and as far as the University of the Punjab. There were a number of dry drains to take the excess monsoons waters. All these extra measures or safety valves seem to have choked or plugged resulting in the flooding of the even the wide roads like the Mall. Ghulam Rasul Trust building on the Mall was deprived its imposing dome some years back and all monsoons rains have since been finding its way down to its basements. The promise to get it covered with a dome was just a lollipop. Posh localities like the Garden town and Gulberg too had not been spared. Ustad Latif Chughtai had told me that it was in 1904 that the streets outside the walled city had been inundated by heavy rains and boats were seen rescuing the marooned. The following year i.e. in 1905 a very harsh earth quack damaged many important landmarks including the western façade of Tollinton (where this meeting was being held), Free Mason hall on the Lodge road, Railway station and many other private buildings. It is hoped and prayed that this calamity would not be followed by shifting of tectonic plates.
The road along the canal however presented Noah’s flooding. The causes were multiple, all man induced. As the trees along the protected Green Heritage had been stealthily felled, the made soil over which the road had been expanded caved in at various points especially in Muslim town vicinity. Several sink holes appeared big and deep enough to accommodate cars along with the unsuspecting occupants. The canal too had not been desilted for many years reducing its water flow capacity. They had a bright idea of raising a wall on its two sides to ensure that the overflowing water would not enter houses on the sides. Professor Irshad Ali’s house at Usman block too had been flooded with two feet water on the rainy days twice. Building a wall would be like raising the capacity of a dam filled with silt. Other posh areas too did not escape drowning threats. A large portion of very wide concrete sewerage pipe imploded over several points in Johar town’s Allahu chowk. The traffic not forewarned had to detour crisscross.
It is important to visit the problem areas instead of relying on hearsay. The officials should do more than photo shoot. It was suggested that every member is responsible for conveying the news and to take first aid measures. Every member shall carry at least two bottles of water in the car to put out any burning garbage and make his effort viral. Raja Usman Aurangzabe sent the video image of his endeavor. Another menace is the business of release of captive birds against ransom money. These birds netted from different far away even during the incubating season are brought to Lahore. When released in a faraway precinct, the chances of their survival are scant and cannot feed themselves in an alien environment. The wildlife department should be approached to help curb this evil practice. In the meantime a page should be developed to summon volunteers to punish the culprits. It is harming Lahore’s fauna. The problems faced by this megacity are endless, yet its lovers or sons are a formidable force. Those who attended the meeting when it rained cats and dogs, had to struggle real hard to reach their residences but it was an eye opening experience that they would be able narrate to their grand and great grandchildren that on July 26th, 2023, Lahore roads had rivalled the canals of Venice, Oral history.
Post script: My Lahore, an exhibition of Paintings shall be held at Coopera Art Gallery, later this month.
- A Meeting when it rained cats and dogs - 02/08/2024
- Cheating on Art clients - 29/07/2024
