Monsoon showers: Rain brings mercury down

Affected citizens complain about poor drainage

LAHORE: Temperatures fell after it rained in the metropolis early in the evening on Wednesday. Water accumulated in low-lying areas.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Zeeshan Raza, a resident of Baghbanpura, said as monsoon rains intensified, so did the misery of residents of low-lying areas.

“There seems to be no arrangement for draining rain water from our neighbourhoods,” he said. “We were already disturbed because of traffic-related problems caused by construction work for the metro train. Rain has added to our woes. A few millimetres of rain turns the whole area into a pond,” he said.

Rehan Asghar, a resident of Chauburji, said, “Rain is supposed to bring relief from heat. But water accumulation and frequent power failures have turned it into a curse.”

“The road has been dug up for the metro train project. We are sick of dust and noise pollution. Now, we have to live with water at our doorsteps,” he said.

Asghar said the government was neglecting public grievances in this regard.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Chief Meteorologist Muhammad Riaz said 18mm rain had been recorded in the city on Wednesday. He said more rain was expected on Thursday.

“Rain, thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds with isolated heavy falls are expected in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, the FATA and Kashmir,” he said.

The weather report issued  by the Pakistan Meteorological Department on Wednesday said scattered rains were also expected in Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Zhob, Kalat, Nasirabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur divisions and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). Light rain is expected along Sindh-Makran coast.

The Met Department has cautioned that heavy downpour may cause flash floods and landslides in some parts of the Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir.

The report indicates that a seasonal low lies over northeast Balochistan and its adjoining areas, with its trough extending south-eastwards.

Strong monsoon currents are penetrating upper and central parts of the country. A westerly wave is also affecting upper parts of the country and is likely to persist during the next two days.

Rainfall recorded: 199mm rain was recorded in Gujranwala; 158mm in Gujrat; 123mm Sialkot Cantt; 110mm Sialkot Airport; 88mm in Chaklala, 84mm in Shamsabad, Rawalpindi; 88mm at Golra, 60mm at Bokra, 33mm Saidpur, 77mm in Jhelum,  74mm at Mangla, 56mm ub Murree, 55mm in Mandi Bahuuddin, 54mm at Joharabad, 49mm in Sargodha, 29mm at Chakwal, 18mm in Lahore, 1mm Khanpur.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2016.