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drainage A
call away Town Talk society Focal
shift Ignored
reality
drainage Quick
fix approach The
water and sanitation agency is equipped to handle rain water in the city
except in the event of flooding of river. Drain management suffers from
short-term planning and impulsive purchases By Aoun
Sahi In the first week of
June this year, Managing Director Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Lahore,
Pervaiz Iftikhar, announced that the agency is ready for monsoon season. He
also told media that they have enhanced the capacity of disposal stations to
dispose off water even from low-lying areas in the city within minimum time
period. "People will
witness a reasonable difference this year," he said. The first two major
monsoon rains, on June 15 and 29, have clearly shown that there is not much
difference in the situation this year, too. Most parts of the city especially
on June 29 turned into ponds of rainwater and it took hours to dispose off
water from the city. People witnessed traffic jams on The Mall, Multan Road,
Davis Road, Chauburji, GPO Chowk, AG Office Chowk, Nabha Road, Jain Mandir
Chowk, Revenue Board Office Chowk, MAO College Chowk, Mozang Adda, Ganga Ram
Chowk, Civil Lines Chowk and Regal Chowk for many hours due to rainwater
accumulation. Life in all the low-lying areas in the city was also paralysed.
Most people hold Wasa
responsible for the situation and question its capability to handle such a
situation. "On June 29, I was unable to come out of my house for more
than ten hours due to accumulation of rain water in our area," says
Muhammad Asif, a resident of Garhi Shahu area. He says that as the
metereological department has already predicted more rains and floods in
rivers this year, it seems that Lahorites will have to face many such days in
the next two months. Wasa highups say that
situation is not so bad as depicted by media. They think that Wasa cannot
stop water accumulation in low-lying areas. Its job is to drain off this
water. "It is right that huge amount of rainwater accumulated in low
lying areas of the city on June 15 and 29 but this is not Wasa's fault,"
says Pervaiz Iftikhar. "On June 15 the city had received 40mm rain in
only 20 minutes while on June 29 it rained 72mm in the city. On both days
there was no rainwater in the city the next day." Generation capacity of
major disposal stations has been enhanced from 40 to 60 per cent this year to
drain out rainwater shortly. "If these disposal stations are provided
uninterrupted power, Wasa can tackle 5 inches of rain per hour," says
Iftikhar adding that no country in the world can handle rain reaching
catastrophic proportions. Wasa officials also
blame city residents for the situation. Khalid Janjua, head supervisor at
Samanabad drain workstation tells TNS that local people do not even hesitate
to drop waste into manholes even when rainwater is overflowing on the roads.
"We have requested them more than once not to drop waste in underground
sewerage pipelines but people are not ready to cooperate with us which
creates problems both for them and Wasa," he says. Citizens do not buy the
statement. "Things have been going the same way since decades. They
should have asked the citizens ten years back. In this way Wasa is equally
responsible for the situation," says Amjad Hussain, a 45 year old
resident of the walled city. In Lahore before 1996
no government took the issue seriously, says a high official of Wasa. This
was when catastrophic rains created havoc in the city that the then Arif
Nakai government instead of taking some concrete steps spent a huge sum of
money to buy 300 dewatering sets. During Mian Shahbaz Sharif's government
disposal stations were given importance for the first time. The government
besides enhancing their capacity also provided generators so that they
operate even during load shedding. He says we should have in mind that Lahore
city has a flat surface and its water cannot be disposed off naturally. The
other factor that makes it impossible is protective embankment on River Ravi.
"Wasa has 12 major
disposal stations along the river bank that are adequate to dispose off
wastewater during dry season and if we have any issues about disposing off
storm water all concerned parties; Wasa, citizens and different governments
are responsible for it," he says. Lahore has two types of
sewerage lines. One are open drains while the other are underground
pipelines. Technically open drains were built for storm water while
underground pipelines were laid down to dispose off wastewater.
"Unplanned city growth and unplanned sewerage infrastructure by Wasa
(which were never done according to master plan of the city), have resulted
in mixing the both. Whenever there was some problem in underground sewerage
pipelines to dispose off waste water, the department instead of addressing
the issue made ad hoc arrangements and used open drains for waste water by
setting up a small disposal station. Lahore is the only city in the world
that has 70 intermediate pumping station that are used to dispose off water
from one drain to other or even some times from one manhole to other within
the city," he says. He says, "You will
be surprised to know that there was no wastewater in Allama Iqbal Town drain
before 2001. "In 2001 the sewerage system of Neelam Block, Ichhra and
Samanabad choked due to some problems. Instead of opening the choked sewerage
the department set up a pumping station and started using this drain to
dispose off wastewater. The same has happened with most of the open drains in
the city and because of this we have to face a lot of problems during monsoon
season," he says. The Wasa official
thinks that three things should be kept in mind while preparing for monsoon
season. First, rains in city but no flood in river, second, flood in river
but no rains in city, third and the worst scenario is rains in city and flood
in water. "Wasa can handle the situation in the first two scenarios to
some extent but for the third situation it is not prepared," he warns.
According to him in 1980 the city faced the worst scenario and instead of
city water disposed off in river through disposal stations, river water
started flowing into the city through these disposal stations.. It can happen
once again," he adds.
A
call away The
option of lucrative nights spent answering the telephone -- call centres have
indeed become a sought after career for the youth By
Jazib Zahir By 10:30
pm, most of us are safely ensconced in our homes and done with our tasks for
the day. But for a dozen employees of AD Dells in Barkat Market, working
hours have just begun. They take their places in front of assigned telephones
and computers, and barring two short breaks of a cumulative forty-five
minutes, toil away non-stop till 6 am. AD Dells
is a boutique call centre that provides a very specific service, scheduling
the cleaning of air conditioning ducts in homes in Canada. How do people in
Garden Town affect change half a world away? "We start by looking at
this website that has contact information for all residents of Canada,"
explains Faraz, a seventeen year old looking to spend his spare time this
summer in a constructive manner. "We then spend the night phoning
individual homes one by one until we can convince someone their air
conditioning ducts need cleaning." About
how often do these telemarketeers make a sale? "About once every three
hundred calls," admits a weary Asjad. "It's a low percentage
business but our supervisors understand that." AD Dells
operates in the confines of one large room and prepares its employees through
two days of training in following a prepared script to persuade customers.
But there are much larger call centres too, like The Resource Group and Ovex,
which serve a broader portfolio of clients. Their employees are trained to
provide assistance over the phone in everything from selling cars to
troubleshooting computers. Such companies hire a far larger number of
employees and boast well-equipped training rooms and rigorous recruitment
criterion. On any
given day, you are likely to find several young men waiting nervously in the
lobby of The Resource Group head office. At the appointed hour, they are
escorted into a conference room and made to engage in conversation with the
head of recruitment section. She questions them about their educational
background and their salary expectations. The content of the responses is
somewhat less significant than the accent and inflections with which they are
delivered. Based upon their articulation, one or two lucky gentlemen are
asked to stay and the rest are led out by the guard to try again another day.
The
option of lucrative nights spent answering the telephone is far from assured
even for the chosen gentlemen. They are now gauged in a laboratory
environment simulating the act of answering a customer by phone and even
tested on their typing speed. The survivors who demonstrate a fidelity to
following written instructions, a spark of spontaneity to deal with
unfamiliar situations and most of all, a clear and pleasant English accent
are then immersed into rigorous training to prepare them for the career. So who
bears this regimen to land a call centre job? Raza is twenty-three years old
and has taken all the exams required to be a Chartered Accountant. "I
have a few months before I receive my examination results and can practice as
an accountant. Working in a call centre is a good option in the
meantime," he explains. Their classification as temporary jobs by our
youth is one of the reasons the churn rate is so high among call centre
employees. Call
centres are also attracting a range of established employees from other
professions. Ahmed Khan had several years of work experience in a local bank.
When he was looking for something new, he stumbled upon advertisements for
call centre employees. "The work is often unimaginative and there aren't
many chances to progress," he admits, "but the base salaries in the
most prestigious call centres are sufficient to justify my shift." It is
little wonder then that the classified sections of our newspapers are
littered not just with advertisements for call centre employment
opportunities but also with training centres' claiming to correct individual
twangs to make trainees desirable by call centres. Ahsan is
a manager in a prestigious call centre and insists that the belief that all
call centre jobs are unimaginative, is flawed. "The managerial positions
in call centres compare favourably with those in multinationals. Someone who
has worked his way through the ranks of answering telephone calls can be
uniquely placed to be a manager," he says. The
hours are odd and work may seem tedious and frustrating. But at the end of
the day, working in a call centre is just another means of livelihood and its
employees have the standard expectations and aspirations. "I see it as a
way to meet some interesting people and acquire skills that could lead me to
a better profession in the near future," explains Faraz. I want to know
more about his planned career trajectory, but he has already turned back to
his computer terminal and is oblivious to my continued presence. No doubt he
is seeking out that one housewife in Toronto who is looking for someone to
clear out the dust accumulated in her air conditioning ducts. Town Talk •
Musical evening with Ustaad Mahfooz Khokhar and shaagirds on July 10 at
Alhamra, Gaddafi Stadium at 6pm. Anis Irfan (Vocals) and Dr. Taimur Khan (Saarangi) •
Mega Dance Party and dinner on Saturday, July 14 at 7pm. Ticket for Rs 600.
Get tickets fast Cooki: 0300-4439667, Razi: 0300-4779159, Goshi: 0300-5658988 •
Poetry Readings on Monday, July 9 at 125F Model Town between Asr and Maghrib.
The programme is organised by Adab Saraa'ae. •
LEAF Discourses in Science on July 12 at Model Town Library at 6pm. Dr.
Mujahid Kamran will talk about 'Einstein and Germany' •
Puppet shows for everyone every Sunday at Peerus Cafe at 3pm for free. •
Jazz Night at Peeru's Cafe -- a
fusion of Jazz and tabla on Sundays at 9pm for free. •
Puppet Show for Children at Alhamra, The Mall at 11am. Ticket for Rs 5/10. •
Nazir Ahmad Music Society stages a concert every Saturday at Government
College University at 1:30pm. society Mini
cities Lahorites'
priority to security has given way to a number of one gate societies. Here is
about townplanning or the absence of it By Zarmeena
Mubashir Lahore, a metropolitan
city, is expanding at a phenomenal speed. To accommodate people migrating
from neighbouring cities and villages, housing societies are being built in
every nook and corner of the city. Lahoris are giving utmost
priority to security. One gate societies have facilitated the need for
security and peace. "Towns, villas and apartments mushrooming all over
the city are being built without a vision. Society itself has a very short
life. Samanabad has a far better plan than Allama Iqbal Town. The latter has
reached its saturation point as compared to colonies built in the past,"
says conservationist Dr Ajaz Anwar. He is also of the view that 30 per cent
of land in a society should be for the construction of plots and 70 per cent
for roads and amenities. Housing schemes are
contracted out without considering the fact that a good number of trees will
be uprooted. "When sites are chosen, different contours of landscapes
should be accommodated. Sunken grounds need to be considered. If natural
characteristics are well utilised, then housing societies can be an ideal
model of town planning," says Aslam Khan, an architect. He also said
that community garden can be developed inside towns and societies. Old trees
that do not interfere with main roads can be kept and used as aisles for the
pedestrians. Natural vegetation should only be destroyed as a last resort. Kamil Khan Mumtaz, a
conservationist is of the view that geographical location of Lahore should be
kept under consideration. Streets have to run north, south and not east west
so that shadows are cast and sun does not shine directly on the roads. He
emphasises that architects should keep little geographical characteristics in
mind, and not construct towns and villas in a haphazard manner. Earlier, there was no
concept of boundary wall. Now one gate societies have become small
independent cities. "Provision of respectable shopping malls,
electricity and water offices, government schools, colleges, spacious
hospitals and recreational parks should be in the housing schemes," says
Mustafa, a resident of Tech Society. "Gulberg, an old
residential area, has no boundary wall. It was built for upper middle class
but was occupied by upper class. Majority of the people who occupied the land
were high government officials," says Iftikhar, Deputy Director at LDA.
He also says that Gulberg has lost beauty due to commercialisation.
Residential and commercial areas should be segregated by town planners.
Multinationals buy the law and build multi-story buildings in what used to be
residential quarters, thus causing the death of the city. Model Town was planned in
the 1930s. Till some years back it comprised houses as big as 6 to 8 kanals.
Gradually the size of these houses started decreasing. Now the smallest plot
has been fixed at one kanal. "Model Town has not lost its vitality. LDA
planners keep the plan of Model Town as an example. People residing in Model
Town have always felt secure, irrespective of the fact that there is no
boundary wall," says Khalid, a resident of Model Town E Block. "Tech Society is
relatively a safer society than the newly built societies. Retired doctors
and engineers live there and there are armed guards who are on duty for at
least 8 to 10 hours. Good security system is one of the major factors why
people have quickly settled in Tech Society," says Hina, a resident of
Tech Society. Defense Society has
expanded enormously. Old phases such as phase 1, 2, 3 have a sound security
system whereas people living in newer blocks like AA feel vulnerable.
Majority of people living in Alpha Society, Eden Villas, Sukh Chayn
apartments, Lake City, Askari Villas, EME and Valencia are of the view that
apart from necessary provisions, recreational facilities should also be
provided in their respective town. It would lead to less traffic going
towards downtown and unnecessary hours wasted in traffic jams would be put to
use. Defense has its own club,
shopping centres, parks, cafes and restaurants and has served as a good
example of a mini city. Residents of DHA hardly come to city centre. Town
planners are of the view that the heavy load of traffic can only be reduced
by provision of facilities in towns and societies. "People are being
discouraged to come to the inner city by building housing societies on the
outskirts of the city but they have to come to town to work, meet their
relatives and to places like GPO, High Court, Custom Office, Punjab
University and Anarkali," says M. Khursheed, an architect and assistant
professor at NCA. He also adds that buses normally have the capacity of 42
seats. "They replace 15 cars, so the concept of public transport should
become common throughout the city. Housing schemes are being built without
feasibility reports. Architects should have necessary information about the
community for which a society or town is being built." "Earlier a house had
around 6 to 7 children. Now the number of people living in a house has
decreased. Comparatively more electricity is being consumed. Lifestyle has
changed and it is the right of every generation to bring changes in lifestyle
and improve standard of living," says Rashid, an investor in Real
Estate. The city district government claims to have earmarked 56 per cent of the budget for development. How it is utilised is yet to be seen By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed The City District Government Lahore (CDGL) has recently
announced its annual budget for fiscal year 2007-08 whose total volume is
around Rs. 29.061 billion. The district government claims that this year's
budget is unique in the sense that around 56 per cent of the budget amount
has been allocated for development projects and betterment of the masses. In
the past, most of the budget funds were spent on non-development expenditures
like payment of salaries, administrative expenses, travelling of officials
etc, it says. Besides, the district government claims that this time it's going to emphasise on provision of basic necessities like healthcare, education, sanitation, solid waste management, access to safe drinking water and provision of toilet facilities for the general public. No doubt, these sectors have been ignored for long and need special attention. But it has to be seen how realistic the targets set by the CDGL are. While the district government claims it will tackle these issues on top priority, the opposition members say the budget allocated for these purposes is insufficient and just an eye-wash. The opposition members also tore apart and burnt copies of the budget books and shouted slogans against the government. The CDGL says it will build 700 classrooms in 188 schools and build toilets in 117 schools. In addition to these, the provision of safe drinking water will be ensured in 69 schools so far devoid of this basic necessity. The funds allocation for health sector and solid waste management are Rs. 226.3 million and Rs. 580 million respectively. This year, Rs. 1.249 billion has been set aside for development schemes under Citizen Community Boards (CCBs). These funds are available to those registered CCBs who can arrange 20 per cent of the total cost of public welfare projects like the construction of small roads, bus stop shelters, dispensaries, class rooms and boundary walls at CDG schools, water and sewer schemes and so on. Town Nazim, Shalimar Town, Khalid Ghurki tells TNS that this year's budget is mere jugglery of words. He says the government is spending more on its advertisement campaigns in the national media and less on development and provision of services to the masses. Ghurki condemns Lahore district government for failing miserably in disbursing funds meant for CCBs. "I can safely say that hardly 7 to 8 per cent of the CCB funds have been consumed. Of these most have been spent on development schemes in Shalimar Town. In fact, the CDGL has failed miserably to involve community in welfare projects," he says. Ghurki says the CDGL has kept Rs 580 million for solid waste management. On paper this looks fine but most of the people do not know that Rs. 500 million will be spent on purchase of land for a landfill site, he says. "Are Rs. 80 million enough to manage solid waste in a city as huge and populated as Lahore." Mian Waheed-uz-Zaman, District Officer (DO) Finance and Budget tells TNS that the CDGL budget is extremely people-friendly. There has been no new tax; even Wasa's demand to increase its tariff to meet its budget deficit of Rs. 770 million has been rejected, he says. Wasa will have Rs. 5.13 billion from CDGL budget whereas its annual expenditure stands at Rs. 5.9 billion. Waheed says this time the CDGL will ensure that the main roads and streets constructed by it have a much longer lifespan. For this purpose, drain pipes will be laid along the roads and the level of greenbelts be kept low to facilitate drainage of excess water. He says it's unfair to criticise the government needlessly. People will soon see all these promises met in their true spirit.
Parents
share their experiences and fears of child abuse By
Naila Inayat Child molestation
remains a real fear experienced by most parents, especially working mothers.
"I have been occupied with this guilt from the time I saw my maid
sitting on top of my two year old son and pestering him," said Asma, a
school teacher by profession. Another woman was forced to kick her maid out
when she found her taking bath along with her four year old son. Another one
complains that her maid used to keep her son on drugs so that she could watch
her favourite television dramas without any intrusion. "My son slept all
day long". "I live in a joint
family and it was a tough task bringing up my boys. One has to protect
children from older cousins in the family because they can go astray,"
said Sadia, a working woman. She said that joint families are a blessing for
working mothers. "When it comes to child protection grandmothers and
older women at home are a great help". Maheen, a young
entrepreneur said that the demands of modern day life are such that one just
can't survive without domestic help. Gone are the days when your
mother-in-law used to look after the children. Well, have things
really changed? Our societal structure has no doubt transformed dramatically.
The concept of joint family is rapidly disappearing. Now most families are
living in a nuclear family which has made way for many fears. A woman, when asked
about her priorities, categorically stated that though she had never known
anyone in person who had been a victim of child molestation, yet she knew by
instinct how to keep servants at a distance from children. She believed that
it's a matter of providing your children with a secure future which depends
on your actions. Mother of one of the
victims said she believed that single-unit family had many drawbacks but one
of the crucial elements is the lack of communication between parents and
children. "I still remember how my 14-year-old daughter, ashamed of
directly telling me, left a note on the dining table which read that she had
been physically abused by the school van driver," she said. These days the
parent-child communication gap is widening. Children are constrained to their
rooms and it's rare that they indulge in discussions with their family.
"If I ever faced such a situation I would never tell my parents about it
because it's taboo, I'll try to deal with the issue myself," said a
college student. Parents today have
become so vulnerable that they can't do without servants. "It's really
difficult for me to leave children with the maid and even when I'm at work it
is not easy to concentrate. It is hard to leave them with strangers but what
can one do. There is no alternative for mothers who are living in a single
unit family," said Javeria, a working mother. "Yes, of course there
is a fear when your children are with servants, especially when you keep
hearing stories about others," commented Sundas, another working mother.
Child protection is
every parent's concern irrespective of class. The need is to realise that
child sexual abuse always has harmful effects on a child. Abused children
often end up developing vengeful attitude. "I still remember how a class
fellow of mine in school used to tell us that she was time and again
maltreated by her driver. Later, when she entered college she had lost all
her moral values and was involved in all sorts of sexual offences," said
Asma. An important case in
this regard is that of serial killer Javed Iqbal who drugged, sodomised and
strangled 100 children just because he himself was molested as a child.
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