Heavy rains batter metropolis

Highest rainfall of 146mm was recorded at Lakshmi Chowk followed by 123mm at Farrukhabad

LAHORE:

Widespread rains and thundershowers lashed various areas of the provincial capital and Punjab on Saturday. Rain spell which started on Friday pushed several low-lying areas under rainwater and caused frequent power tripping in the city.

Official rain statistics recorded by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) showed that the highest 146mm rainfall was recorded at Lakshmi Chowk followed by 123mm at Farrukhabad, 121mm at Shahi Qila, 115mm at Gulshan-e-Ravi, 98mm at Chowk Nakhuda, 95mm at Samanabad, 88mm at Allama Iqbal Town, 81mm at Johar Town, 73mm at Tajpura, 66mm at Upper Mall, 59mm at Wasa Head Office Gulberg, 49mm at Nishter Town, 44mm at Lahore Airport and 36mm Mughalpura.

Data showed that the rain started around 2:41 am and continued till 1:26 pm with intervals on Sunday that caused rainwater ponding in several neighbourhoods in the provincial capital and caused inconvenience for residents North Lahore, Johar Town, Township, Green Town, Shadman, Shad Bagh, Misri Shah and several low-lying neighbourhoods of the city.

Dozens of electricity feeders of the power utility company tripped owing to rains, pushing several parts of the city in blackout for several hours.

The weather report indicates that strong monsoon currents are penetrating the upper and lower parts of the country. A westerly wave is also affecting the upper and western parts of the country. Rain and thundershower are expected in Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, eastern Balochistan and lower Sindh. Isolated heavy falls are also likely to occur during the period.

Read Authorities on high alert for rains

It states that widespread rain occurred in Punjab, upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and lower Sindh while dry weather prevailed elsewhere in the country.

Official data highlights that 80mm rain is recorded in Kasur, 38mm in Mangla, 23mm in Mandi Bahudin, 22mm in Narowal, 01-32mm in different areas of Faisalabad, 32mm in Jhelum, 21mm in Sialkot, 8mm in Khanewal and Bahawalnagar and 1mm in Hafizabad. Following widespread rains in the Wasa and city administration conducted an emergency operation to drain rainwater from different areas of the city.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has also directed the provincial administration, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Wasa to remain alert round the clock keeping in view the recent spell of rains in different cities, including the provincial metropolis.

The chief minister directed officials concerned to be present in the field and no stone should be left unturned in the drainage of water. He said drainage work should be completed as soon as possible and the concerned officers and staff should continue the work to drain out rainwater from the low-lying areas.

He asked the Wasa and administration to utilise every resource for the early completion of this task. He made it clear that no leniency will be tolerated in this regard. He further directed that citizens should not face any difficulty and smooth flow of traffic should also be ensured.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th, 2021.