Resurgent rain leaves several areas inundated

Volume was nowhere near as high as recent downpours, but areas still flooded

LAHORE: Even though the rain in the provincial capital was nowhere near as intense as the torrential downpours earlier this month, several low-lying areas were left inundated. Rain also caused the tripping of dozens of power feeders and plunged various neighbourhoods into darkness for a prolonged period.

Citizens from various areas also complained about water shortages, while traffic jams were the order of the day due to the monsoon shower and excessive pooling of rainwater. Minor accidents were reported from various areas, but no major catastrophe took place.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Muhammad Usman complained that there was no electricity in his neighbourhood for several hours. “We have registered various complaints with the local office of the power utility, but are still awaiting a response,” he added.

According to the Pakistan Metrological Department, the weather is hot and humid in most parts of the province, but rain/wind-thunderstorm is expected in scattered areas of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala divisions.

The department highlighted that moderate monsoon currents are still entering lower parts of the country and likely to weaken gradually over the next 24 hours. On the other hand, strong monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are likely to enter northeastern parts of the country from Wednesday night, which may cause moderate-to-heavy downpours over the next two to three days in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Sargodha divisions.

Weather forecast

Mainly hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country. However, rains/wind-thunderstorm are expected at scattered places of Rawalpindi, Lahore and Gujranwala divisions as well as in Kashmir and Islamabad. Similar weather conditions are expected in isolated areas of Malakand, Hazara, Mardan and Zhob divisions as well as Gilgit Baltistan. Over the last 24 hours 46mm of rainfall was reported in Lahore, 11mm in Khanpur, 04mm in Bahawalpur and 03mm in Multan.

The PMD has already issued an advisory to administrations, calling for precautionary measures. It said the spell of monsoon rains has continued in different parts of the province. The weather department instructed that necessary steps be taken at hospitals across the province with the cancellation of leaves of paramedics and other staff.

Earlier this month, heavy monsoon rain lashed the provincial metropolis and adjoining areas, resulting in the death of dozens. The incessant rain lasted for several hours, causing water to accumulate in several areas of the provincial capital.

Routine life came to a grinding halt and traffic was severely affected, while power supply was disrupted to various parts of the city.

A visit to different localities showed that rainwater had gathered equally in both low-income neighbourhoods and posh localities, but WASA’s response towards different areas was discriminatory in nature. In posh areas, the agency had deployed water pumps to remove accumulated water, but an official could not be seen for miles in poorer neighbourhoods.

At the time, local trader Bilal Khan complained that several hours of rain had converted his neighbourhood into a pond. Citizens were trying to pump rainwater out of their shops and houses, but no Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) or local administration officials were available to lend a helping hand in this hour of need.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2019.