• Several localities in provincial capital submerged
• Rainfall also recorded in other cities of province
• CM asks Rescue 1122 to be on their toes to deal with emergency
• PDMA expects wet spell to continue until July 15

LAHORE: Lahore received heavy rain on Friday, setting a new record when compared to figures of monsoon showers documented since 1980 and leaving most of the city inundated by rainwater.

Accumulating rainwater left people in trouble in many areas of the city, while electricity supply system was also affected in several localities.

Rain lashed many other cities and towns of Punjab.

Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Managing Director Mohammad Ghufran Ahmed said Tajpura area of Lahore received 315 millimetres of rain. He said 291mm of rainfall was recorded at Lakshmi Chowk last year, adding that the area received 170mm rain this year. Lahore’s monsoon rain record available with Dawn corroborates these figures.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the local administration and Wasa to take immediate measures to drain the standing water in all the cities.

The CM directed the staff and officers to visit the vulnerable areas and stay in the field till the rainwater was completely drained.

She asked Rescue 1122 and other departments to brace themselves for an emergency situation in advance.

“Work on drainage of main arteries and low-lying areas should continue uninterruptedly. Emergency measures are required to deal with the situation created in various cities because of continuous rain,” she said.

The areas in Lahore where rainwater got accumulated included Davis Road, Nisbat Road, Gawalmandi, Krishan Nagar, Rajgarh, Mozang, Chauburji, Neela Gumbad, Mall Road, Shadman, Ichhra, Model Town, Faisal Town, Garden Town, Township, Johar Town, Harbancepura, Tajpura, Gulberg, Mughal­pura, Wasanpura, Badami Bagh and Shahdara.

During a visit to low-lying areas of Lahore, including Tajpura B Block Disposal and Tajpura Disposal Station, the Wasa chief instructed the authorities concerned to expedite the drainage work.

He was informed that additional machinery from all towns has been dispatched to Tajpura and all disposal stations are currently operating at full capacity.

The substantial rainfall has turned spotlight on the vulnerabilities of low-lying areas like Tajpura.

Early this year, CM Maryam approved the construction of two water tanks in Tajpura — each with a capacity of 3.2 million gallons. These tanks are planned to be built before the next monsoon season, raising the hope the step would significantly reduce the urban flooding risk.

Wasa recorded rainwater at Pani Wala Talab at 151mm, Qurtuba Chowk and Iqbal Town at 152mm, Gulshan-i-Ravi 151mm, Mughalpura 145mm, Airport 86mm, Upper Mall 130mm, Samanabad 153mm, Iqbal Town 152mm, Gulberg Town 105mm, Chowk Nakhuda 155mm, Nishter Town 162mm, Jail Road 69mm and Farrukhabad 140mm.

According to the Meteorological Department, temperature in the city was recorded at 27 degrees Celsius, with the maximum being noted at 36 degrees Celsius. The humidity level is recorded at 87 per cent.

Flood risk

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) alerted the district administrations in Punjab about the risk of flooding in rivers and streams due to heavy rains.

According to a PDMA spokesperson, 38mm of rain was recorded in Attock, 40mm in Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar, 38mm in Gujrat, 36mm in Jhelum, 40mm in Kasur, 38mm in Sheikhupura, and approximately 37mm in Sialkot, 39mm in Faisalabad, 40mm in Multan, 44mm in Rahim Yar Khan, and 41mm in Sahiwal.

He further said that 40mm of rain recorded in Toba Tek Singh, 41mm in Okara, 40mm in Hafizabad, 38mm in Narowal, 40mm in Sargodha, 25mm in Murree, and 37mm in Mangla.

He said intermittent rain continued in Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, and Layyah and added that the rain spell would continue across Punjab until July 15.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia instructed all deputy commissioners of the province to remain alert to handle emergency situations.

Meanwhile, the Met office forecast rain-thundershower associated with windstorm/gusty winds in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northeast/central Punjab, Potohar region, Islamabad, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and northeast Balochistan on Saturday (today).

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2024