OUR cities are once again staring down the very real prospect of waterlogged streets and stalled life with PMD`s latest alert. In recent years, heavy rains in our urban centres have killed scores and cost billions because storm water had nowhere to go. Yet, with the forecasted June 20-23 window already upon us, work remains patchy. Karachi still lacks funds to clear its 586 drains; most remain choked with sludge. Islamabad`s G-10, F-10 and I-9 drains are stuffed with waste that will burst into streets once it rains. Rawalpindi only began dredging Leh Nullah on May 26; phase one ends on June 30 after the first spell. Hyderabad officials, meeting on June 19, also conceded key drains are blocked. The water resources minister`s June 5 `immediate clearance` directive shows poor planning despite past experiences. Drain cleaning and powerline fixes remain seasonal rituals.

Action cannot wait. Municipal crews must launch an emergency blitz on every choked drain; pumps and inflatable boats should be pre-positioned in lowlands; FM, SMS and socialmedia alerts must name the streets most likely to go under; and utility engineers should brace loose poles and signage before the first gusts topple them. Rescue 1122 and PDMA teams already possess the necessary gear they must deploy it now, not after the inevitable viral video of a submerged underpass. Yet this scramble will be repeated next June unless the rulebook is rewritten. Provinces need a legally binding monsoon calendar that completes drain cleaning, encroachment removal and transformer insulation by June 1, with discretionary funds withheld from agencies that miss the deadline. Nullahs that double as rubbish pits must be widened or roofed, and feeders serving low-lying colonies buried underground. Above all, the NDMA should publish an annual `resilience league table` naming and shaming laggard cities. Monsoons may be an act of nature, but the flooding that follows is an act of neglect. Citizens cannot pay for that neglect year after year.