THE WEAKNESS OF THE ROOF OVER THE HEAD

On July 27, 2026, a family had gathered to celebrate a birthday when their three-storey home in Lahore’s Harbanspura locality folded in on itself, one storey after another, killing 11 and injuring six. In an instant, the celebrations turned into panic and horror. Less than a month earlier, on June 30, a residential building that also served as a tuition centre in Lahore’s Kahna town, had collapsed, killing 14 children. The youngest of them was five years old. The fact that both incidents occurred in Lahore, within weeks of each other at the height of the monsoon rains, brings two basic questions into sharp focus: can the homes of low-income families withstand shocks and is Punjab’s housing policy, which is centred largely on new construction, doing enough for the fragile, rickety homes that vulnerable households call ghar [home]? It is a cruel irony that the rains that bring relief from the summer heat can also threaten the very shelter meant to protect families. Heavy rainfall can weaken walls, bring down roofs and, in the worst cases, leave families searching through rubble for those they love. This season, across Punjab, successive spells of rain between June 26 and September 22 have claimed 69 lives and injured another 392, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Among those killed were 29 men, 12 women and 28 children. It is reported that 71 percent of these deaths — 49 people — have occurred due to houses collapsing. Some 104 houses have been destroyed and 122 partially damaged across Punjab. During the 2025 floods, Punjab recorded the highest housing losses in the country, with 55,134 houses completely destroyed and another 157,963 partially damaged. Against this backdrop, the Punjab government’s Apni Chhat Apna Ghar (literally: Own Roof, Own Home; ACAG) programme, its construction-loan design and ambitious claims are drawing scrutiny from housing experts and developers over whether the policy will ultimately translate into adequate, s