Rain rain go away: Woman dies, several others injured in roof collapse incidents

Rain water pooled in several areas of the city on Tuesday

LAHORE: A 35-year-old woman died and 13 people, including three children, were injured in three roof-collapse incidents after rain showers continued in the metropolis throughout Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Zaman Khan said he and his family were asleep at their house in Pathan Colony, Dubanpura, Sabzazar, when the roof caved in with a loud crash. He said the house was decrepit and the roof had collapsed due to the heavy rain. “We were buried under the rubble and I could hear my family crying and screaming for help,” he said.



Several neighbours gathered and called up Rescue-1122. They tried to shift the debris and pull the victims out. A Rescue-1122 team took Khan, his wife Gul Bibi and his three children to Jinnah Hospital. Doctors pronounced Gul Bibi dead and said the rest were being treated for various injuries.

The roof of another house on Raiwind Road collapsed due to heavy rains. Nawab Town police said four people had been injured in the incident. One of the injured called up Rescue-1122. They were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Five people were injured after the roof of a house in Bhutto Colony collapsed. Shahdara Town police said the house was in a dilapidated state and had collapsed because of the rain. The victims called up Rescue-1122. They were taken to a hospital where they are still under treatment.

Low-lying areas flooded

Water pooled in low-lying areas of the metropolis after heavy rain showers continued throughout the day. Though the weather turned pleasant, residents and commuters at Lakshmi Chowk, Anarkali, The Mall, Ghari Shahu, Waris Road, Johar Town and Barkat Market among other areas were seen wading in knee-deep water. Traffic remained jammed on most of the main roads throughout the day.



Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of floods in the Chenab and Jhelum rivers. PMD’s Flood Forecasting Division had earlier issued a warning that drains including Palku, Deg, Aik, Basantar, Bein, Hassri, Jhajri, Bhimber and Bhander might also swell and overflow at some point.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Chief Meteorologist Muhammad Riaz said an active weather system had been producing rain of variable intensity on low elevation plains and sub-mountainous regions of the Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and adjoining parts of India.

He said the rains were a result of low pressure over the Gulf and the Bay of Bengal. He said the low pressure, which had entered Pakistan from India, might clear on Wednesday morning (today). However, the low pressure will enter the Kashmir region and could cause urban flooding. He said the Met office had informed the provincial government about this a week ago.

A flood warning issued on Tuesday says that rains are likely to continue for another 36 hours. High intensity rain was expected in the upper catchments of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers while moderate to heavy rain was expected in catchments of Ravi and Sutlej rivers. “There is also a chance of cloud burst at Chenab River due to westerly waves.”

A weather report issued by the PMD said rain and thundershowers were expected in Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sahiwal and Bahawalpur divisions. Scattered showers have been forecast for Sargodha and Multan.

More than 100mm rain was recorded at the Lahore airport and the city received maximum rainfall of 70 mm on Monday-Tuesday.

DCO Capt (r) Muhammad Usman and Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) officials visited several areas in the city to supervise drainage operations. Wasa spokesperson Imtiaz Mujtaba Ghauri said the agency’s emergency staff was trying to clear all major roads of water on priority. He said once the rain stopped, Wasa would clear water from all roads in a matter of hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2015.