Heavy rain inundates Pindi, again

Lack of drainage systems sees Committee Chowk underpass flooded

RAWALPINDI: Heavy rains lashed the garrison city early on Monday morning, leaving several low-lying parts of the city inundated.

Owning to blocked sewers and drains, rainwater gathered in the roads and streets in areas such as Sadiqabad, Afandi Colony, Dhoke Ali Akbar, Waris Khan, Ariyan Mohalla, Dhoke Khabba, Javaid Colony, Bangash Colony, and Dhoke Chiragh Din. Water also entered houses and shops in these localities.

Further, the rainwater also accumulated on the Jamia Masjid Road, College Road, Liaquat Road, and Murree Road. Some parts of cantonment areas were also inundated after heavy showers.

Rain started at about 5:30 am on Monday and continued for over an hour with intermittent showers. The Pakistan Meteorological Office recorded at an average of 47 millimetres of rain in the twin cities.

Despite the heavy showers, there was no significant increase in water levels in the Nullah Leh which flows through the densely populated city of Rawalpindi. Waters rose by six feet in the massive storm drain.



The rain, however, brought life to a standstill in the low-lying areas as water accumulated. adiqabad was among the worst affected areas of the city where there was no proper sewerage system while open drains were choked and rainwater flowed on streets and entered shops and houses.

Vehicular traffic remained suspended on Murree Road at Committee Chowk after water accumulated in the underpass. A system installed to drain water in the underpass has been non-functional for a long time.

In a statement, the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Spokesperson Umer Farooq noted that the agency’s staff and management were working to monitor and manage the situation.

The spokesperson said that a re-alert had been issued after a heavy shower started.

In this regard, the WASA official said they had deployed heavy machinery such as suckers, jetting machines, and water tankers to deal with any untoward situation.

The statement added that WASA staff drained rainwater from Sadiqabad, Zafarul Haq Road, Jamia Masjid Road and from the Committee Chowk underpass on Murree Road.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2017.