Islamabad Lawmaker Warns of Flooding from Illegal Housing

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A member of the National Assembly has sounded the alarm over recurring flooding in the federal capital, blaming unregulated housing developments built along riverbeds for worsening the crisis.

Speaking during the National Assembly’s Question Hour, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Nuzhat Pathan criticized the lack of regulatory enforcement by city authorities. She said several neighborhoods remain inundated because housing societies are being developed without proper planning, particularly along waterways carrying runoff from the Margalla Hills.

Pathan urged parliament to take immediate action, warning that unplanned urban expansion was putting lives, property, and key infrastructure at risk.

In response, Minister of State for Climate Change Shizra Mansab Ali Khan acknowledged that heavy rainfall combined with poor urban planning was driving flooding in Islamabad. She said the government was working to improve floodwater storage and strengthen building resilience. She also noted ongoing efforts to clear encroachments that block natural drainage channels.

Officials have linked the problem to deforestation and reduced natural water absorption in the region. Authorities, in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), are pursuing the Recharge Pakistan project, which seeks to create sustainable rainwater storage and groundwater recharge systems to help reduce flood impacts in vulnerable areas.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has previously announced a crackdown on illegal housing schemes, warning that enforcement measures are essential to control urban sprawl and reduce the risk of flooding in the capital.