LAHORE: A boy and his young sister died on Friday and two other members of the family were critically injured when the roof of their dilapidated house collapsed during the torrential rain at Chak 531-GB in Samundri tehsil of Toba Tek Singh district.

As per Rescue 1122 officials, the roof collapse resulted in the death of 13-year-old Imran Manzoor and his 17-year-old sister Sawera Bibi, while Tasawar Bibi (15 ) and their mother Zulaikha Bibi (46), were critically injured.

Rescue 1122 teams, assisted by locals, managed to recover the bodies and rushed the injured to Samundri THQ Hospital.

In another roof collapse incident in the same village, three members of a family were injured, and shifted to hospital.

Downpour causes civic issues in Multan, Bahawalpur and various other districts

The persistent monsoon rains across Punjab have highlighted the vulnerability of infrastructure and the urgent need for effective disaster management measures as more rains are expected in the region in the coming days.

Intermittent rain continued in various districts of Punjab, mostly in the south, on Friday, leading to urban flooding and disruption in routine life.

In Multan, all the major roads and low-lying areas were submerged following the heavy rainfall that began early in the morning around 6:30am and persisted until 9:00am.

Afterwards, rain continued intermittently throughout the day, leading to inundation of key roads such as Khanewal Road, Vehari Road, Bahawalpur Road etc. The historic walled city areas, including Haram Gate and Bohar Gate, were also severely affected by the rain.

The flooding created significant challenges for the city residents, particularly students, who struggled to reach their educational institutions amid rainwater accumulation.

In response, the city district administration declared a rain emergency.

A maximum 72mm of rainfall was recorded at Chungi No 9, followed by 62mm at Kerri Jammandan, and 31mm on Old Shujabad Road.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued a flood alert, warning of potential flash flooding in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, and Bahawalpur divisions over the next 24 hours.

According to the PDMA, the monsoon rains have caused significant damage across Punjab, with 105 civilians reported dead, 260 injured, and 267 houses affected so far this season. The fatalities were primarily caused by lightning strikes, electrocution, and the collapse of weakened structures. Additionally, 89 cattle also perished.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia assured that financial aid is being provided to the affected families according to the government’s policy, besides medical care to the injured.

He said the water flow in the province’s rivers, including the Indus, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Jhelum, remained normal, though there is a possibility of high flood in the next 24 hours. The water levels in Mangla Dam and Tarbela Dam are at 74 per cent and 100 per cent of their capacity, respectively, while Indian dams on the rivers Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi are at 60pc of their capacity.

Similarly, in Bahawalpur, a heavy downpour submerged roads and streets, with rainwater entering houses in several low-lying areas, including the kachi abadis of Baghdad Mohajir Colonies and Shahdra Bastis of Model Town B.

The rain, which began around 1:30am lasted for two hours, rendering the city’s underground sewerage system ineffective leading to extensive flooding on major thoroughfares such as Circular Road and Fowara Chowk, causing traffic issues because of broken down vehicles. The rainwater entered several shops on the Circular Road, damaging merchandise.

The rain also disrupted the electricity supply in many localities, leaving them without power till late in the evening. Emergency response teams were deployed to clear the flooded streets on the directions of Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Anwar Jappa. However, the officials concerned say that it will take several hours to restore normalcy given the volume of the accumulated rainwater.

Imran Gabol from Lahore, Majeed Gill from Bahawalpur and Tariq Saeed from Toba Tek Singh contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2024