Khanna East Appeals to CDA for Drain and Road Rehabilitation
Residents say blocked natural drainage, sewage and rainwater from the Rawalpindi side are contributing to recurring flooding, and have sought coordinated action by CDA, ICT Administration, MCI and RDA.
ISLAMABAD: Residents, traders and educational institutions along Khanna East Road have renewed calls for authorities to address longstanding drainage and infrastructure problems, warning that recurring accumulation of rainwater, sewage and floodwater continues to disrupt daily life and expose the area to serious monsoon risks.
Residents Seek Drainage Rehabilitation
In a written application addressed to the Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Public Welfare/Joint Action Committee of Khanna East Road requested the removal of encroachments along the natural drainage channel, construction and rehabilitation of the drainage nullah, and rehabilitation of Khanna East Road and adjoining service roads.
The application, dated June 29, 2026, claims that floodwater originating from the Rawalpindi side enters Islamabad through the highway-crossing area and that obstructions along the nullah and its catchment have reduced the natural flow of water.
According to the residents’ committee, this contributes to repeated overflow onto roads and into nearby residential areas during the monsoon.
Calls to Remove Encroachments
Residents have asked the CDA to immediately survey the drainage corridor and remove encroachments allegedly obstructing the nullah and its right-of-way.
They have also sought a dedicated drainage system capable of carrying both rainwater and sewage without overflowing into surrounding neighbourhoods.
The committee further called for coordination among the CDA, Islamabad Capital Territory Administration, Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad and other relevant agencies.
It also requested that the Rawalpindi Development Authority be engaged to address sewage and rainwater reportedly entering the area from the Rawalpindi side.
Road Rehabilitation Linked to Drainage
The residents linked their demands with ongoing and proposed road-infrastructure improvements in Islamabad, arguing that rehabilitation of Khanna East Road and its service roads would not provide a sustainable solution unless the underlying drainage problem was addressed simultaneously.
The application claims that more than 60,000 residents could benefit from a comprehensive intervention in the affected area.
Islamabad Tribune could not independently verify that population estimate or all technical claims regarding the source and volume of drainage water.
Residents Cite Previous Drainage Problems
The concerns are not entirely new.
An Associated Press of Pakistan report previously documented complaints about open drains and deteriorating infrastructure in Khanna East after a child died following a fall into a drain. The report said residents had been raising the issue with authorities for years.
With monsoon conditions repeatedly exposing drainage vulnerabilities across Islamabad, residents are now seeking a permanent engineering solution rather than temporary clearance measures.
Their latest application calls for drainage rehabilitation, encroachment removal and road improvement to be treated as parts of a single infrastructure plan.
No official response from the CDA to the specific June 29 application was available in the material reviewed by Islamabad Tribune at the time of publication.
