Four die in separate rain-induced incidents in twin cities

Waters in Nullah Leh rise to dangerous levels, but recede

ISLAMABAD: As heavy monsoon rains lashed the twin cities, at least four people were killed in two separate rain-induced incidents in the capital on Thursday.

Authorities said that in the first incident, three members of a family were caught as a wall collapsed on top of them as they slept in their makeshift tent house in Rimsha Colony, a Christian shanty town in Sector H-9.

Police said that the falling debris killed Imran and his wife Nasreen on the spot. Their eight-year-old daughter Saneeqa was critically injured and died while receiving treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

Danial Masih, a political worker and a resident of the colony, told The Express Tribune that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had razed the family’s illegal house a few months ago, which was why the three-member family was living in an insecure tent.

Pakistan Army jawans sit on the bank of Nullah Leh in Rawalpindi. PHOTO: NNI

“They were sleeping when the wall of a neighbouring house fell on them … their house was razed because they could not grease the palms of CDA officials,” Masih said. He added that no rescue official came to the aid of the stricken family and claimed that it took an ambulance of Rescue 1122 over two hours to reach the spot and evacuate the injured child to the hospital.

Imran, the family’s head, worked as a daily-wage sanitary worker at the Pakistan Air Force headquarters.

Meanwhile, a young woman died after rain water entered a house in Sector G-13 early on Thursday morning.

Golra police said that the occupants of the house were sleeping in the basement of the house when water burst through a wall and into the basement.

“The woman was trapped under the debris of the collapsed wall. Water also started accumulating in the basement, rising as high as eight to nine feet. Other members of the family were rescued by the police,” a police officer said.

The victim was identified as 24-year-old Maryam Riaz. The rescue operation lasted three hours.

According to the meteorological department, the capital had so far received 91 milimetres of rain while Rawalpindi had received 77 millimetres on Thursday.

Aziz reviews flood relief cell

Mayor of Islamabad and Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz was told on Thursday that the flood relief cell had deputed staff in shifts in the city.

Chairing a meeting to review flood response, Aziz was told that staff of the flood relief cell had received 35 complaints from different areas of the city of water accumulated in different buildings of the capital.

The meeting was also told that blockages in the flow of water were removed while a cleanliness operation after the rain spell had been carried out by the sanitation directorate.

Aziz directed the engineering wing to repair damaged roads and drainage systems to ensure smooth flow of rain water.

Sanitation directorate was told collect garbage and solid waste lying on the sides of the drains. Moreover, people living in the slums near the drains should be told to relocate to avoid damage. Moreover, residents were told to disconnect all illegal drainage connections which were directly flowing into drains to avoid backflow in the case of heavy rains.

Health directorate was told to fumigate areas around the drains and ravines.

Nullah Leh near flooding

Owing to the heavy rainfall in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, water levels in the Nullah Leh rose to dangerous levels.

Water levels in the massive storm drain on Thursday morning were recorded to be at 19.32 feet (danger level is 20 feet) at the Kattarian Bridge. At the Gawalmandi Bridge, the water level was 14.47 feet. However, the Rescue 1122 in Rawalpindi said thus far no damage to life or property had taken place in the garrison city owing to the rains.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Minister for Minerals Chaudhry Sher Ali reviewed arrangements made for monsoon rains in the city on Thursday.

Chairing a meeting at the Commissioner Office, he directed the concerned officials to remove encroachment along the Nullah Leh and other storm drains, warning that strict action is taken against those dumping waste into the drains.

He directed Deputy Commissioner (DC) Talat Gondal to submit a report of the damage sustained due to heavy rains so that the government could compensate them.

DC Gondal said that water levels in Nullah Leh had receded after rising to dangerous levels on Thursday morning. He added that all wings of the local administration, including army troops, were on high alert to watch for flooding.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2017.