World Drowning Prevention Day: Who is responsible for those who drown?
The body of former Colonel Ishaq Qazi, who was swept away in water in a private housing society in Islamabad’s DHA, has been found, but his daughter is still missing. Rescue workers are still searching in storm drains and the Swan River.
The incident with this unfortunate family comes just three days before the United Nations observes World Drowning Prevention Day.
Could Colonel Ishaq Qazi and his daughter, like many others, have been saved? Senator Sherry Rehman calls it not an accident but human negligence that took the lives of the father and daughter.
According to Sherry Rehman, ‘We cannot call it a natural disaster. These are man-made disasters that are the result of poor planning and negligence in protecting against climate action.’
Her point is also reinforced by the fact that when the United Nations declared July 25, 2021, as the World Drowning Prevention Day, its aim was to make people aware of the tragic effects of drowning and also to focus on preventing millions of deaths due to drowning.
According to a report by the World Health Organization published in 2024, drowning has become a serious global problem that claims more than three hundred thousand lives worldwide every year.
According to the statistics of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Pakistan's natural disaster management agency, 36 people have died so far due to drowning in water as a result of the recent monsoon rains, while a total of 256 people have died due to monsoon rains from June 26 to July 24.
On Tuesday morning, when 62-year-old Colonel (retired) Ishaq Qazi left his house with his 25-year-old daughter, he was swept away along with his car due to heavy rain and overflowing drain.
On July 13, 19-year-old Zulqarnain Faqir drowned in a pond in Sector E-16-1.
Similarly, on July 9, 22-year-old Muhammad Mohsin Korang drowned in the drain and his body was found in the Swan River.
In June, a vehicle was swept away by a flash flood in Rawalpindi, and after hours of searching, the body of female teacher Anam Bashir was recovered from a drain and taxi driver Hussain Muawiya from the Swan River.
These incidents have been reported in areas like Islamabad and Rawalpindi, which are generally perceived to have better infrastructure than other parts of the country.
Similar incidents have been reported in other parts of the country, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Swat. On Monday, 15 people went missing in Babusar Top after a flash flood, while in June, a family of 18 was swept away by a flash flood on the banks of a river in Swat.
These dozens of incidents during the monsoon have highlighted the seriousness of the problem, and questions are being raised as to whether these accidents can be prevented.
According to climate change expert Asif Shuja, the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had warned in its annual report in 2024 that monsoons in South Asia would be more intense than usual.
He said, referring to the control of urban flooding, “It is mandatory to prepare an environmental impact assessment for any project. Pakistan’s Environmental Protection Act, which has been adopted by the provinces after the 18th Amendment, ensures that before the project, it is seen whether there is a watercourse in the area. How much rainfall there is and what is the potential impact of climate change. Based on these factors, permission is given to work on a project in an area. In my opinion, if an institution does not conduct this environmental impact assessment, then this project should not be allowed to run.
According to Asif Shuja, a warning was issued regarding Pakistan that this time the weather intensity would be higher. But unfortunately, people were not informed and the areas likely to be affected by floods were not even identified as to which areas tourists should visit or not. Such areas are identified in a timely manner all over the world and are declared red zones.
‘There is definitely a problem of resources, but if the relevant departments prepare proposals and give them to the relief agencies, then it is possible to raise funds. The question is, how will we deal with natural disasters if they occur? Let me give you the example of Japan. Japan had a huge problem of urban flooding, but they collected rainwater by building large underground reservoirs and today the problem of urban flooding has ended there. The point is that problems are solved by thinking and then acting and secondly, resources should be used properly.’
These incidents were also mentioned in the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change. Referring to the incident in Islamabad’s Saidpur Village and DHA, Senator Sherry Rehman, the head of the committee, said, “We can no longer call it a natural disaster, these are man-made disasters that are the result of poor planning and negligence in climate measures.”
She said that construction without any planning in these areas played a role in the destruction and loss of human lives.
Pakistan’s natural disaster management agency NDMA says that it predicts weather hazards six months in advance.
NDMA spokesperson Sara Malik, responding to questions from Urdu News, said that NDMA organizes awareness workshops at the local level to prevent accidents and rescue teams and relief supplies are prepared before the monsoon.
“NDMA issues advisories before the monsoon and alerts during the monsoon, which reach the public through media, social media, SMS alerts, NDMA Disaster Alert App and provincial institutions. Their purpose is to provide timely information to the public and instructions to provincial institutions on how to respond effectively by mobilizing resources in the event of any emergency.
The drowning of Ishaq Qazi and his daughter has also raised questions that if there had been a barrier or fence where their car was swept away by the water, the car would have probably been saved from being swept away.
What does the NDMA do regarding protective fences on storm drains?
According to the NDMA spokesperson, ‘The NDMA gives instructions to the provincial and district bodies in its advisory for cleaning drains and protective structures. Apart from this, special instructions regarding infrastructure are also sent directly to the provinces. The NDMA also provides priorities to the provincial high authorities through the Disaster Management Forum.’
The question is that if the NDMA had already given instructions in its advisory for protective structures, were they implemented or not? And most importantly, who is responsible for the deaths of this father and daughter or many others who have fallen victim to such accidents.
