Heavy downpours drenched Lahore as its Tajpura area received 242 millimetres, while several others seeing at least 100 mm downpour, resulting in inundated roads and submerged low-lying areas.
The neighbourhoods of Lakshmi Chowk received 130 mm rain, Pani Wala Talab 128 mm, Qurtuba Chowk, 125 mm, Gulshan-e-Ravi 133 mm, Mughalpura 132 mm, Airport 71 mm, Upper Mall 123 mm, Samanabad 135 mm, Iqbal Town 128 mm, Gulberg Town 103 mm, Chowk Nakhuda 122 mm, Nishter Town 129 mm, Jail Road 55 mm and Farrukhabad 119 mm.
Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and several other areas of the province also received heavy rainfall, causing problems for the residents.
Apart from Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi, Nikyal and Barnala areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gujranwala, Jehlam, Mandibahauddin, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Pakpattan and their adjacent areas too experienced heavy showers. A host of areas suffered from power outages as well.
People encountered immense trouble as rainwater accumulated in a large number of areas — including Rawalpindi’s Dhok Kashmirian, Sadiqabad and Dhok Kala Khan as well as Lahore’s Devis Road, Nisbat Road, Gawalmandi, Krishan Nagar, Rajgarh, Mazang, Achara, Faisal Town, Garden Town, Gulberg, Mughalpura, Wasanpura, Badami Bagh and Shahdara.
The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) managing director said staff was deployed for water drainage in low-lying areas and arrangements were complete viewing flooding in the Lai Nullah.
Viewing the emergency situation, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed the local administration and Wasa authorities to take immediate measures to drain the stormwater in all the cities, including Lahore.
The Punjab CM directed the staff and officers to visit the vulnerable areas and remain in the field till the rainwater was completely drained.
She directed Rescue 1122 and other departments as well to brace up 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.
Maryam said rainwater should not be seen in streets and markets, while the traffic police should clear roads for easy flow of vehicular traffic.
