l Low-lying areas inundated, rainwater damages goods, vehicles in markets l Army put on standby to meet any emergency l Water level in Leh Nullah rises to 15 feet at Gawalmandi, Kattarian bridges l Spillways of Rawal Dam to be opened today

RAWALPINDI/Islamabad: Heavy rain on Monday played havoc in the garrison city with rainwater inundating low-lying areas and entering houses and shops, damaging goods worth millions of rupees.

Leh Nullah rose to 15 feet at Gawalmandi and Kattarian bridges. The rain, varying from light to heavy, forced the local administration to switch on sirens of the flood warning system, asking people along Leh Nullah to move to safer places.

Army was put on alert and officials of Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), Rescue 1122, Civil Defence and health department were called in to deal with any emergency.

“The army was not called out but put on alert to deal with any emergency,” Deputy Commissioner Tahir Farooq told Dawn.

In downtown areas, rainwater destroyed motorcycles and cars parked on main roads in Mochi Bazaar, Bohar Bazaar, Sadiqabad and Jamia Masjid Road.

Nullahs and streams flowing from Islamabad merged into Leh Nullah at New Kattarian on I.J. Principal Road and discharged into Soan River. In the 11km-long route, 11 nullahs in Rawalpindi also fell into Leh Nullah.

Every year, a flood-like situation develops in the nullah due to the faulty sewerage system in the city. The last flood that the garrison city witnessed was on July 23, 2001 when 620mm of rain was recorded in just four hours. At least 35 lost their lives while many slums were swept away.

The Meteorological Department on Monday recorded 100mm of rain at Golra, 81mm at Zero Point, 13mm at the airport and 31mm at Saidpur in Islamabad while 27mm was recorded at Shamsabad, 59mm at Chaklala and 29mm at Kutchery in Rawalpindi. More rain has been forecast on Tuesday.

“It is not cloudburst but a heavy rain spell. Usually, minimum 200mm an hour rain is called cloudburst,” said a Met Office official.

He said strong monsoon currents were continuously penetrating the upper, central and southern parts of the country. More rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh and Balochistan. Isolated heavy falls are likely in Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh and southern Balochistan.

The residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, especially those living along Leh and other nullahs, faced great hardship as the rain continued from morning till evening.

Dhoke Juma, Faizabad, Arya Mohallah, Nadeem Colony, Javed Colony, Muslim Colony, Dhoke Ratta, Ganjmandi, Jamia Masjid Road, Banni Chowk, Sadiqabad, Satellite Town, Commercial Market, College Road, Bohar Bazaar, Naya Mohallah, Iqbal Road, Raja Bazaar, Kohati Bazaar, Mochi Bazaar, Mohanpura, Nanakpura, Arjan Nagar, Amarpura, Service Road along Murree Road, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed and Rawal Road were covered with three to four feet of rainwater.

The situation in Islamabad, especially in I-9, I-10, Karachi Company, Peshawar Mor, G-8, G-7 and even Margalla Road was no different.

The officers’ ward at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and the basement of Holy Family Hospital (HFH) were also inundated while Rescue 1122 officials said rainwater entered metro bus stations on Murree Road and accumulated on the elevated track.

Electricity and gas supply was suspended in low-lying areas to avoid any harm to human lives.

Deputy Commissioner Tahir Farooq and Wasa Managing Director Mohammad Tanveer visited different parts of the garrison city to inspect the operation to drain out water from roads and streets.

When contacted, the Wasa chief said residents in localities adjacent to Leh Nullah were alerted as the nullah rose to pre-alert level of 15 feet.

He said all officials were called to deal with any emergency and to drain out water accumulated on roads adjacent to Leh Nullah, adding that main roads were cleared of water within an hour.

Rawalpindi Traders Association President Shahid Ghafoor Paracha told Dawn that rainwater entered Raja Bazaar and adjoining markets, including Moti and Mochi bazaars, and destroyed goods in shops and stores.

“Traders remained busy clearing rainwater from their shops,” he said, adding that the government should help small traders whose goods were damaged in the urban flooding.

He said nullahs should be cleared before the monsoon to avoid such damages.

Meanwhile, CDA officials remained on their toes during the heavy rain, draining out rainwater accumulated on various roads and the Peshawar Mor metro bus station.

According to the CDA, complaints about accumulation of rainwater were received from different areas and were addressed promptly. It said water accumulated on highways was also cleared to maintain normal traffic flow.

A press release issued by the CDA said 20 complaints of water accumulation were received on its helpline. “These complaints were addressed well on time and dewatering was carried out with the help of pumps,” it stated.

Similarly, complaints were also received about collapse of walls of two houses in Tarnol but there was no loss of life. Joint teams took timely action and evacuated the residents of nearby houses to safe places.

The teams also ensured strict monitoring in different sectors, housing societies, non-sectoral areas such as H-13, E-11 and other low-lying areas.

According to the assistant commissioner rural Islamabad, water level in Rawal Dam reached 1,750.10 feet and its spillways will be opened from 6am to 10am on Tuesday to release 861 acre feet of water to attain the level of 1,749.5 feet. The opening hours will depend on the rain conditions.

The deputy commissioner directed all response units, departments, monitoring and relief camps to remain on alert while police reserves will also be deployed along Korang River.

Moreover, strict action will be taken against anyone entering Korang River and violating Section 144.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2022