In Rawalpindi, a hand-cranked siren was used by the local administration as a flood warning, and a video of it quickly went viral on social media.
After the video surfaced, many users expressed surprise and questioned the lack of modern technology. While some saw it as a sign of the administration taking things seriously, others mocked the outdated method.
The video shows a man operating an old-fashioned hand-crank siren, which is being used to alert people in Rawalpindi about potential flood risks.
The video was shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by user Khurram Iqbal, who wrote, “It’s surprising that even in 2025, hand-cranked sirens are being used to warn of danger. How much of the population can this actually alert?”
Once the video went viral, it drew a wide range of public reactions—some sharply critical, others sarcastic, and a few defending the move.
حیرانی ہو رہی ہے، 2025 میں بھی خطرے سے آگاہ کرنے کےلئے اس ہاتھ سے چلنے والے سائرن کا استعمال کیا جا رہا ہے، اِس سے کتنی بڑی آبادی الرٹ ہو گی۔۔!! pic.twitter.com/FDELp7ibM9
— Khurram Iqbal (@khurram143) July 17, 2025
Public reactions on social media:
A user named Saima Baig wrote, “When a country’s leaders are thieves and crooks, there’s no progress. That’s why Pakistan is in this state. The rulers became billionaires while the condition of the people went from bad to worse.”
Another user named Ahmed took a more defensive tone, saying, “Before criticizing, do your research. The administration is assessing the situation. WASA teams have been cleaning the Nullah Lai for days. The sirens are installed in every neighborhood and can alert the entire area.”
Kashif Mansoor made a sarcastic comment, “Even vendors selling onions and garlic—and even beggars—use loudspeakers to reach the whole city, and here we’re using a hand-cranked siren for an emergency alert?”
It’s worth noting that Rawalpindi, Lahore, Islamabad, and many other areas of Punjab are currently at risk of flooding due to recent heavy rains, with the threat of a flood in Nullah Lai being a major concern.
The administration has taken several steps to issue flood alerts, including evacuating people to safer places and cleaning drainage systems. However, the use of such an outdated siren has raised serious questions about the modernization of the alert system.