A visit to Lake view park, Islamabad in rain

The monsoon season in Islamabad is rather pleasant with cool breeze blowing all the day. Sunday yesterday was one such day with a heavily overcast sky with a drizzling here and there. We therefore decided to spend the day at the nearby Rawal Lake View Park, located on the Islamabad-Murree highway.

However, it was till after midday that we finally got out and drove towards the park with a light drizzle en route. When we neared the only large scale picnic place for the people of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, we encountered a long line of cars waiting to go in. Some hurriedly parked their cars along the roadside, shrinking the two lane-road into one lane and adding more congestion to the snail paced traffic.

We made it to the car park, which wasn't as full as we thought would be since many had parked their cars outside it. We parked the car, bought tickets, Rs.10 for adults and Rs.5 for the children, while under five years were free to move in. It was still drizzling lightly but the poor ostrich in the small zoo was already drenched as can be seen in the photo below. 

The cloudy weather made it pleasant to roam around and move towards the lake view point.

The lake was dotted with colourful boats, filled with families, who despite the light drizzle seemed to be enjoying the boat ride in the muddy waters of the lake, which seemed full to its capacity.

A boatman waiting for the customers

While we were thinking of hiring a boat for us, it suddenly started to rain heavily. All those standing on the view points, along with us started rushing back at a quicker pace, while ladies resorted to a hurried pace to find a shelter. I did not increase my speed as I always love walking in the rain since my childhood. Though drenched completely, I continued to move towards the car park as the ladies hurriedly decided to call it a day.

While the place is well planned, it is not kept neat and clean at all. Rather I did not see any semblance of cleanliness, neither by the staff of the park nor by the tourists and holidaymakers visiting the park. While the ill-planned dust bins were over flowing, the holidaymakers ensured that they throw rubbish wherever they liked to.

Even the plastic bottles and other litter could be seen in the water. But perhaps this is how it is all over wherever the rush of tourists is much more. Just a day or two ago, I shared a post about Paris, "The other side of Paris," where I found such scenes as above near the Eiffel Tower when I visited it last September, due to lack of adequate cleaning arrangement.

We need to educate ourselves to keep public parks clean and adhere to litter-discipline so as not to make it look like an eye soar.

Since it had suddenly started to rain, I had just the time to take a snap of my son before turning back. I enjoyed the day and was happy that people in large number had come out of their houses and enjoy the weather and the scenic Lake View Park of Islamabad.

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Deadly Monsoon in Pakistan

During the past few years, there have been hardly any monsoon rains in Pakistan. And each year despite praying for rains, there were no traditional monsoon downpours, which many a times created drought like conditions. Farmers who lands that relied on rain water alone, specially in the mountainous areas, looked towards the sky for rain bearing clouds, but their longing gazes returned with disappointment. But this year it was different.

The rains came to compensate for all the previous years once for all. A westerly weather system moving in from Iran and Afghanistan, combined with heavy monsoon rain, caused the worst floods on record in Pakistan in the past week. There were very heavy downpours this time across the country. It started with the province of Balochistan, where rains, that came with the Cyclone Yemyin (03B), swelled the water courses with very fast currents, which swept away roads, mud houses and made countless homeless. Then the rains moved upwards in the north and came so heavily that all previous records were broken. The rivers overflew and water gushed in from everywhere. Bloated rivers have washed away villages and triggered devastating landslides throughout the northwest of the country. In Swat and adjoining areas, the water with all its ferocity entered the city and swept away houses and whatever came its way. And it killed countless people as well.

The rain water now continues to travel downstream with much more rolling speed. Villages after villages have been swept away and farmlands washed away. As a rough estimates, some 3 million people have been affected and over 1500 perished in the muddy waters. A large number of bridges have also been damaged and destroyed. This has made the relief operations much more difficult. Besides initial damage in Balochistan, the Northern province of Khyber Pakhtoonkwa has been badly affected. And as the water flows downwards, more destruction is caused in Punjab followed by the Sind province where the accumulative effect of flood water is causing much more damage. As of now, about 1 million cusecs of flood water is flowing downstream towards Taunsa Barrage.

There is a danger of spread of large scale diseases due to dead animals lying everywhere, and in some case the dead remains of humans.

Pakistan Army has taken control of the affected areas as the civil government has totally failed to take control. The army helicopters are evacuating the stranded and marooned, but a large number is still trapped on rooftops. Boats from Pakistan Navy have been air transported and sent to augment army resources. But the helicopter relief operations come to halt many times due to inclement weather.

While people suffer and long for help and early rehabilitation, it is heartening to see people of Pakistan and the world community rising to the occasion and donating whatever they can. UNHCR emergency response teams are distributing tents, relief supplies, and humanitarian assistance to the displaced in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. At this hour of distress, much more needs to be done to help the otherwise poor people of Pakistan.

Photo Courtesy: AP

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