Plastic waste adds to Lahore’s urban flooding challenge

LAHORE: Plastic bags and other solid waste dumped into drains are worsening waterlogging in Lahore during the monsoon, as recent rain left several low-lying neighbourhoods under water and renewed attention on the city’s drainage problems.

On Monday, monsoon rainfall inundated areas including Gulshan Ravi and Chungi Amar Sidhu. Experts said plastic waste is among the main reasons drainage channels and sewer lines become blocked during the rainy season, increasing the risk of urban flooding in low-lying parts of the city.

Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company water expert Adnan Nisar Khan said the disposal of plastic bags, household refuse and other solid waste into open drains and sewer lines restricts the movement of both wastewater and rainwater, eventually choking the drainage network. Authorities also say waste accumulated in drains not only harms the environment but reduces the system’s capacity to carry stormwater away quickly during heavy downpours.

According to the Water and Sanitation Authority, Lahore has seven major drains with a combined length of 94 kilometres. WASA carries out desilting and cleaning work before the monsoon each year, and underground tanks have also been built at several sites to store excess water during periods of intense rainfall.