LAHORE:
At least seven people were killed on Wednesday as record-breaking rainfall hit Lahore, the capital of Punjab, causing widespread urban flooding and bringing the city’s infrastructure to its knees.
The city was transformed into a big lake after receiving an unprecedented 291 mm of rain in just over nine hours. The rainfall in Lahore was the heaviest in 30 years, according to the authorities.
Mohsin Naqvi, the interim chief minister of Punjab, told the media that the deaths were the result of a roof collapse, water drowning, and electrical shock. The prime minister expressed surprise at the “unprecedented” rainfall in a tweet.
Around four in the morning, the rain began. The amount of precipitation was different in different areas.
However, over a dozen locations in the city saw rainfall totals of over 200 millimetres.
Lakshmi Chowk saw 291 millimetres of rain, the most of any location.
Gulberg, Tajpura, Nishtar Town, Chowk Na Khuda, Johar Town, Paniwala Talab, Farrukhabad, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Iqbal Town, and other locations saw rainfall totals of 200 millimetres or more.
There were at least seven deaths attributed to the heavy downpours.
Three of them were electrocuted in separate parts of the city, several others were killed in a roof collapse incident, and one youngster drowned in floodwater, according to rescue officials.
They reported the deaths of three people due to electrocution: a young motorcyclist named Usman in Chungi Amar Sidhu Bazaar, a woman who remained anonymous on Circular Road, and a teenager named Ehtesham in Baghbanpura.
Please take note of the monsoon-related river flood warning.
According to reports, Muhammad Wali, 11, drowned in a park in Thokar Niaz Beg when heavy rains flooded the area, while three individuals were killed in Darbar Misri Shah when their home’s roof fell. Asad, age 5, Nawazish Ali, age 40, and Mehwish, age 40, were confirmed as the deceased.
Muhammad Ali Randhawa, the commissioner of the Lahore district, said that such heavy rain was unprecedented in the last 30 years. He went on to say that 2018 saw 288 millimetres of precipitation compared to 2017’s 238 millimetres.
More than 100 electricity feeders controlled by the Lahore Electricity Supply Company (Lesco) tripped, resulting in power outages in many locations and inflicting significant hardship for the local population.
Houses and a few government buildings also fell victim to the rain. Up to three feet of water was standing in several areas of the Lahore General Hospital’s wards. The patients and the medical personnel had a lot of problems because of the circumstance.
A massive effort was launched when the rain stopped to drain the water from the streets and residences and quickly restore power. Naqvi, the city’s chief executive, and other members of his cabinet travelled to different areas to monitor rescue efforts.
Water pools on the roads in Lahore as a result of the record-breaking 272mm of rain that fell there in only nine hours. The canal has overflowed as well,” tweeted Chief Minister Naqvi.
Every member of the cabinet and the executive team is out here helping to clean up the mess. Naqvi continued, “I am also keeping an eye on the situation on the ground and receiving constant updates from all over Lahore.”
Naqvi, after touring the city, said, “Special teams have been deployed throughout the city to clear main roads and submerged areas.”
Learn more about the city’s efforts to clear clogged drains here:
He said that the worst hit areas were Muslim Town, Garden Town, and Gulberg.
Naqvi said that another round of rain was expected throughout the night, as predicted by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), and that officials had made plans to deal with any potential emergencies.
The Water and Sanitation Agency’s general director Gufran Ahmed estimated that the city’s rainwater would be drained within three to four hours if all disposal systems were running at full capacity.
According to a Lesco representative, the field workers were on high alert. Since everything was wet or drowned in precipitation, the corporation had warned the field employees to exercise utmost caution during power repair and restoration operations.
Predictions of further precipitation
According to the PMD, the present wet period is the result of a combination of a westerly wave’s impact on central and northern Pakistan and the entry of moist currents from the Arabian Sea.
For the next 24 hours, it rained on and off in Lahore, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Toba Tek Singh, and Mandi Bahauddin in Punjab.
In different regions of Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), and Balochistan, the Met Office predicted rain, wind, and thundershowers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the issue and ordered the Punjab government to take immediate action and mobilise the rescue teams in the midst of severe rains. He also noticed the Lahore electrocution and requested more information about it.
The provincial disaster management authority (PDMA), municipal and other departments, and the district administration must work together to save lives, as the prime minister has demanded.
Prime Minister Shehbaz emphasised that, in addition to saving the livestock and calves, every effort should be made to move the people from the villages to safe regions. In a similar vein, he advocated doing everything it took to stop urban flooding.
For the rain to continue till July 8, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued directions to relevant departments. Tourists were urged to monitor the forecast closely.
Due to the current weather conditions, the NDMA spokesperson has issued a warning regarding the possibility of landslides in high areas and flooding in lowlands. The official urged everyone in the impacted areas to be vigilant and well-prepared.
