Impact of last year's Rain on Bahria Town Karachi prices

The Rainfall can be a blessing and can be turmoil for some. In Karachi however, it’s almost considered to be a challenging disaster but on a miniature scale. It’s not as bad as other grievances faced throughout our history of disasters but the damage Karachi Rainfall brings and has brought last year was terrifyingly abnormal. The financial hub of the country has a bad example when it comes to water waste and flood management, and we have seen the proof of administrative negligence last year. This article however explores the rainfall in Karachi and its impact on the Bahria Town Karachi's prices. Was Bahria able to maintain its reputation with its state-of-the-art drainage infrastructure? Or was it completely washed away?

The measurement of Severity: An Abnormal Rain

Karachi with a system on its last breath

We would know how bad a system is whenever it is tested. Landmark events such as last year’s rains make an impact on where a system stands. The water waste management system has never been updated to a newer and more reliable version that is being implemented by other developed countries. The clogging of pipes, the trash deposits, and the waste cluttering inside Nallas, poor infrastructure, the number of waste pools, etc. The system has been here in Karachi for over 20 years and has never been changed or added ever since except for the pipes that linked to the main Nallas.

On the note of Real Estate, it has been reported that a price is one of the many factors for buyers, however, the infrastructure, system, and the environment play a key role when a buyer is looking for a property. The neighbors and Transport are also one the few factors that catch an eye. But the prices are subject to how a buyer would rate its surrounding thus the rainfall would completely alter the landscape making the value of the plot plummet.

Reasons for Urban Flooding - Taking Notes.

The current drainage infrastructure was implemented to provide a systematic and sustainable capacity for rainwater up to 217mm in 48 hours. However, the rain that poured last year greatly exceeded the capacity. The metrological data showed the rainfall was recorded to be 130 mm in just one hour.

On the other, Karachi is divided into regions such as south, East, West, and North. The DHA and CBA societies are located in the Southern region of Karachi, this allowed the water to dispel quickly making less pressure on the system present there. The water however took time to dry up in other regions, as sewerage systems were dysfunctional therefore any means of taking up the water was up to heavy machinery, if not daylight.

The system was credited to be up to the mark as they maintained the standards and management wherever feasible. This caused the matter to be solved diligently as to how it would have been solved by other societies but better. There were reports of Bahria town not facing any sort of water stagnation. This may sound daunting but the efforts of Bahria town led to satisfying the residents as compared to other areas of Karachi

Measuring prices - Is Bahria up to the Mark?

The Rain has been a prevailing issue for over a decade. We must acknowledge that the lack of a proper water waste system, substandard Infrastructure, the issue of electricity and gas, high temperature and humidity, the overgrowth in population, etc will have a lasting impact on Real Estate and its prices.

The Bahria Town has been on the top of the Real Estate perfection, where every possible risk already has a plan that tackles such ordeals. The Rainfall of Karachi was able to submerge the living quarters of most housing societies, apartments, residential homes, standalone shopping malls, etc, on the other hand, the matter of such adversity was handled perfectly and many areas didn’t feel this downpour more than a fizzle in a teapot. There are many factors for Bahria town that made them ready to face this challenge.

Bahria Town with its dams:

There were many reports regarding Bahria’s dams, but no one knew how much they would be useful since Karachi has the lowest rainfall percentage 6 inches (174mm) from 1981 to 2010. The Remaining factor is the monsoon soon that many people fail to even consider as it has a high financial impact on the economy throughout the year. Bahria Town, on the other hand, planned and built the dams for such unforeseen circumstances. The dams are built in different regions and they are 12 of them that hold a capacity of 160 million cubic of water. The dams are functional and hold water for future purposes after purification.

Also, the amount of water that dams can hold is reported as:

“..12 dams to collect and preserve rain and storm water. During the recent downpour, these dams can store 167.6 million gallons of water.”

Malik Riaz on the event of last year’s urban flooding made a tweet that showed his trust in what he has made. The tweet showed a calm and a sleeping Bahria town with road shinning due to it being wet. This is different from other areas of Karachi where water was standing 4-5 feet tall.

Did Bahria have a dip in its Real Estate Value?

It is reported that many Bahria town plots have fetched a good price after the rainfall as their response to the urban flooding made Bahria Town a better place to live in. Just like other societies the standard of living is up to the mark for Bahria Town thus people move towards Bahria town to improve their standard of living. The demand for better homes and the shifting of families to Bahria Town creates another demand for houses. So, overall the counter effects were by land large for the real estate industry that could provide a better standard of living for the residents of Karachi.

Conclusion
The drainage system in Bahria Town is up to the International standard. The rain does have an effect on the prices of the houses as the market may dip for a short while and investors might be reluctant on purchasing the lands. On the other hand, a proper system might be developed to uphold the drainage system which in return would keep up the prices. The Bahria Town currently the only communities that do have a proper system already in place that could tackle such adversities.