One shouldn’t be surprised this year when the havoc of unprecedented urban flooding still haunts the metropolitan after two weeks of rain in Karachi, Bahria Town Karachi (BTK) remained unaffected due to effective town planning and modern infrastructure arrangements. Besides, basic services didn’t halt there because the drainage system allowed the residents to commute without any hindrance, and no instance of overflowing gutters reported during the rains.
As a result, a sharp rise in the buying of properties has been observed in Bahria Town Karachi during the first week of September 2020. Numbers of queries have approached Homeland Enterprises, the authorized dealer of Bahria Town while other realtors are also busy in multiple dealings. At a time when the real estate sector is down due to post-pandemic traumas, the rising demands of accommodations in BTK have valid reasons.
Natural Diversion
Bahria Town has introduced Karachites with the quality of life and international standards of living. Construction and development have been performed here without bypassing the laws of nature. Infrastructural and utility works that have been done under the ground are much superior to, what the developer has carried out on the ground.
While planning the mega housing scheme, natural landscaping of the region was maintained and well-preserved, while the natural drains and plateaus have never been depreciated to reclaim land for unnecessary construction. That is the main reason, the rainwater didn’t paralyze living anywhere in Bahria Town Karachi unlike the downtown of the city.
Concrete Solution
A grand and exemplary network of stormwater drains alongside the roads of all Precincts is the highpoint of development in Bahria Town Karachi. These drains are further devolved and linked with small street channels, which collect and bring rainwater to designated areas. Similarly, proper leveling of roads has been upheld with outward slope and small ducts are created here having steel grill covers, from where rainwater on roads flows down to drains.
These drains are made up of RCC and even the surface of the bed is fully concreted – a major specification that isn’t followed in downtown Karachi. The drains have 5 to 6 feet height with a 6-inch thickness of the wall and the width has been maintained by 3 to 4 feet. However, the width varies depends upon locations and amount of water flow, which goes up to 20 feet where the rainwater is finally passed by before recycling.
It is important to mention that, unlike downtown Karachi, sewerage lines are separate from the stormwater drain system here in BTK. The establishment of a 24/7 sewerage treatment plant is another landmark chapter of Bahria Town. Similarly, the electric and other cabling works have been done underground to avoid any untoward incident and provide an uninterrupted power supply.
The stormwater drains are limited
The stormwater drains are limited for only rainwater flow, which travels hundreds of kilometers inside, flows under a number of newly-constructed culverts and bridges, and gathers at designated points. In the torrential rain around 167.6 million gallons of water collected every year in 12 dam sites, built-in Bahria Town Karachi. It is where the rainwater is made reusable for construction and horticultural needs.
Bahria Town Karachi is indeed a master-planned gated community that promises the international standards of infrastructure and state-of-the-art amenities to its
residents. The rising demand for BTK properties is not artificial, as a matter of fact, it is the need of the hour owing to the rise of population, poor planning, and emergent living density in the megacity.
