Usual monsoon downpour: Emergency declared as heavy rains lash twin cities

Met officials predict more rain today as rescue workers retrieve 11 people stranded in Gorakhpur

ISLAMABAD: Heavy continuous downpour, which started late on Monday night and continued on till late Tuesday evening, has left some parts of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and surrounding areas flooded, prompting the concerned authorities to declare a rain emergency.

However, rescue services say that thus far there has been no causality or injury reported from any area of the twin cities.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Pakistan Meteorological Department spokesperson Khalid Malik said that the heavy downpour which started on Monday night and continued till Tuesday afternoon was recorded at 206 millimetres at Shamsabad in Rawalpindi and 163 mm (6.37 inches ) at Zero Point in Islamabad.

“There is nothing unusual about these showers as mostly the twin cities receive this much amount of rains during monsoon,” he said, adding that light to moderate showers accompanied with gusty winds is expected to continue in twin cities till Wednesday evening.

However, the rain meant that water in the Nullah Leh rose to 15 feet due to which low-lying areas were inundated with rainwater and rescue teams were directed to remain on high alert.



Major areas in Rawalpindi which were submerged in rain were Murree road, Committee Chowk, Kartarpura, Shakriyal, Sadqabad, Rawalp road, Raja Bazar, Moti Bazar, Ariyan Muhalla among others. Some low-lying areas in the capital also saw flooding.

Due to the heavy showers, a boundary wall of the old Benzair International Airport near the runway collapsed. According to officials, a major part of the security wall, which is estimated to be 15 feet high, had collapsed.

Meanwhile, around 11 people were stuck in Gorakhpur, including eight men, two children and a woman. They were later rescued by the Rescue1122.

Till the filing of this story, the water and sanitation staff in Rawalpindi were trying to drain water from the residential and commercial areas of Rawalpindi.

Due to the flooding, major traffic jams could be seen on various thoroughfares of Islamabad and Rawalpindi while underpasses were flooded with rainwater.

Green belts dividing roads also drowned in rainwater and cars and other vehicles could be seen stuck in the flooded streets.

Rescue1122

Rain emergency was declared by the authorities concerned in the twin cities after considering the situation. Major hospitals of the twin cities were also put on alert.



Rawal Dam spillways opened

After the water level climbed to over 1,752 feet in the Rawal Dam, Rawal Dam Spillways were opened after 11am.

Officials said that this was the first time this year that the Rawal Dam had been filled to capacity and the spillways were required to be opened to release the excess water.

After filling of Rawal Dam it is hoped that it will help address the ongoing water shortage in the twin cities.

On the other hand, flash flooding was reported at Korang nullah and Sawan river which overflowed and damaged residential areas in the low-lying areas.

The night long monsoon spell in Rawalpindi and Islamabad has accumulated water at underpasses and various areas having poor drainage system on Tuesday.

According to Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) spokesperson, Umar Farooq approximately 217 mm rain has been recorded since last night, due to which, areas of Waris Khan, Kohati Bazaar, Saidpur Road, Satellite Town B-block, Sadiqabad, Committee Chowk underpass and Liaquat Bagh were inundated with water.

The stagnant water became nuisance for the commuters and local residents. WASA took prompt action and drained out the accumulated water in order to ease the tension of the general public, he added.

He said the WASA Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood was monitoring the drainage operations.

The WASA spokesperson informed that Nullah Leh reached to 15 feet as its maximum capacity is 28 feet and the situation is under control.

According to Flood Relief Cell Islamabad officials, two houses have been damaged near Sohan village and no major loss or incident has been reported yet. Besides, the Sector G-7/1 Nulluh was also in full flow. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2018.