EFFECT OF METEREOLOGICAL PARAMETERS ON CLOUD BURST AND FLASH FLOODS EVENTS IN E11, ISLAMABAD

Abstract

Flash floods and cloudburst are counted as the most devastating natural hazards and the climate change impacts make this hazard more vulnerable, when it hits the densely populated cities of the developing countries, it damages the property and results many casualties. During monsoon season Islamabad receives unpredicted intense precipitation, which causes flooding in the low-lying areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi along Nullah Lai, while Islamabad is the master planned city and affects less. Climate change impacts cause’s extreme precipitation events and unplanned infrastructure development occur due to rapid urbanization while completely altering the natural land structure. This research majorly emphasizes on the causes and effects of flooding and its impacts on the natural and built environment of Islamabad. Study included the qualitative content analysis of flash flooding and analyzed the extreme water events of Nullah Lai for the period of 2010 to 2020. The main purpose to conduct this research was to determine the causes and effects of increase in flash flooding, for this purpose scientific piece of writings (scientific published journal articles, websites and reports) relevant to the specific concept of the research problem and research question were reviewed and analyzed. The study found the natural and anthropogenic factors and urbanization as the main causes of increase in flash flooding, which suggests installing modern technology to predict intense natural weather patterns (precipitation) and must adapt sustainable and resilient infrastructure to control and mitigate future adverse impacts of urban floods in the rapidly urbanized areas.