The Capital Development Authority (CDA), under the direction of Chairman CDA and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Ali Randhawa, is ramping up efforts to remove illegal encroachments across the federal capital, particularly those obstructing stormwater drains, in a bid to avert flooding during the monsoon season.
\nAn important review meeting was held at CDA headquarters on Saturday, where senior officials from the CDA, Islamabad administration, and Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) assessed the progress of the ongoing anti-encroachment campaign.<\/p>\n
The meeting followed instructions from Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to intensify action against unauthorized constructions on public land.<\/p>\n
The officials reaffirmed that illegal structures built over natural drains and water channels pose serious safety risks. \u201cEncroachments on drains are not just illegal\u2014they are a disaster waiting to happen during the monsoon,\u201d Randhawa said. \u201cWe are taking strict legal action and have begun sealing and demolishing such structures.\u201d
\nThe meeting was informed that authorities had already issued 24-hour notices for the voluntary removal of illegal constructions on stormwater drains. If owners fail to comply, the encroachments will be sealed and removed forcibly. These measures, officials say, are essential to prevent emergency situations like urban flooding, which has increasingly plagued the city in recent years.
\nTo ensure coordinated action, the CDA, district administration, and DMA are jointly identifying and clearing illegal encroachments across all sectors of Islamabad. State land reclaimed from illegal occupants will be protected through long-term enforcement strategies.
\nIn a warning to the public, the CDA urged residents and commercial property owners to voluntarily dismantle any illegal structures.
\n\u201cThose responsible for such encroachments will be held fully accountable for legal consequences and any damages resulting from floods,\u201d Randhawa stated.
\nIn addition to enforcement, the CDA plans to launch a comprehensive hydrological study of Islamabad\u2019s drainage system. The aim is to improve water management and mitigate future flood risks.
\nRandhawa directed that preparations for the study be completed on a priority basis.
\nTo prevent re-encroachment, the CDA is also developing a permanent monitoring system.
\nThis will include regular drone surveillance and the use of satellite imagery via Google Earth to track cleared areas.
\nThe anti-encroachment campaign has taken on renewed urgency in recent weeks, as heavy rains continue to batter parts of the country. Islamabad, with its expanding urban footprint and aging drainage infrastructure, is especially vulnerable.
\nOfficials hope that a mix of enforcement, planning, and modern monitoring will help safeguard the capital\u2019s environment and infrastructure.
\n\u201cWe will continue this operation across the board,\u201d Randhawa emphasized, \u201cto ensure Islamabad remains safe and livable for all its residents.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Capital Development Authority (CDA), under the direction of Chairman CDA and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Ali Randhawa, is ramping up efforts to remove illegal encroachments across the federal capital, particularly those obstructing stormwater drains, in a bid to avert flooding during the monsoon season. An important review meeting was held at CDA headquarters on …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":84385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84386,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84384\/revisions\/84386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}