Pakistan, Aug. 3 -- The latest flood warnings issued by the country's weather for low-lying areas of Islamabad and several cities, including but not limited to Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Hyderabad, and Tando Allahyar, have, for the umpteenth time, exposed a crippling infrastructural weakness that seems to be growing manifold with every new housing scheme or road. That even a season expected to bring less rain overall can still overwhelm a city when a heavy spell arrives within a few hours speaks volumes about Pakistan's urban centres, which have tried every trick in the playbook to reduce their carrying capacity through years of poor decisions.

Every now and then, seminars are held to remind the authorities of the gross mishandling of...