Pre-monsoon rain plunges several areas into darkness

Heavy downpour coupled with gusty winds affect 91 feeders of IESCO

RAWALPINDI:

Several areas of the Rawalpindi region and Islamabad plunged into darkness on Thursday evening after heavy rain affected 91 feeders of the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO).

Several localities experienced prolonged power outages due to faults and tripping on IESCO's 91 feeders.

Peshawar Road and surrounding areas in Rawalpindi remained without power for more than 24 hours, creating problems for residents and traders alike.

Though IESCO sent teams to fix the faults, the rain had caused huge damage to the infrastructure including electric supply lines.

The rain and gusty winds also uprooted trees and billboards, inflicting extensive damage to IESCO’s infrastructure. Though the rain provided much relief to the people facing sweltering heat, it caused 90 feeders of IESCO to trip.

According to Zafar Qadri, a resident of Peshawar Road, his area was without power for 24 hours after the rain started on Thursday evening. He said that the prolonged power outages caused immense distress to the residents who spent the whole night awake.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for IESCO said that the heavy rain and high winds wreaked havoc with the IESCO's infrastructure, causing problems for its technical teams to restore electricity in several areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

According to the spokesperson, 11 feeders in Islamabad circle, 16 in Attock, 17 in Rawalpindi city, 27 in Rawalpindi Cantonment, 23 in Jhelum and 17 feeders in Chakwal circle were affected by the rain and the gusty winds.

He said that the affected areas included Bari Imam, Karpa, Golra, Bahria Enclave, Lohi Bhair, Scheme-II, Hatian Pindigheb, Sadiqabad, Gawalmandi, Dhok Hasso, Block-A, Mohanpura, Syedpur, Misryal, Burhan, Daulatullah City, Sohawa, Gujar Khan, Galyana, Gagan, Rawat, Chowk Pindorian, Mandira, Chak Bailey, Sukho, Dhok Farman, Japan Road, Sagari and Kaliam.

The spokesperson said that IESCO’s technical teams were in the field to repair the faults and restore electricity. He said that the IESCO apologises for the delay in the restoration of electricity to some areas due to the severe damage to the infrastructure.

Heavy rain lashed the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Thursday, providing a much-needed respite to the denizens who had been bracing sweltering temperatures for the last over two months.

However, the rain coupled with gusty winds also proved fatal as two persons including a child were killed and five others injured when a swing collapsed on the occasion of Urs of Chan Pirbaba in Pindorian area of Khanna in the federal capital.

According to police, Urs festivals were under way when the swing collapsed as a result of the torrential rain and the gusty winds, resulting in the death of a child and a 40-year-old man. Five children were also injured in the collapse of the swing, who were shifted to the hospital.

The heavy downpour, which started late on Thursday and last for almost over one hour, left several roads and arteries in the twin cities and surrounding areas flooded, prompting the authorities concerned to issue an alert. The heavy rain coupled with strong winds disrupted the power supply in several areas of Rawalpindi and rural Islamabad and several localities plunged into darkness.

The choked drains in the twin cities inundated different roads and the gutters spewed as well due to the inflow of rainwater. The rainwater mixed with sewerage made it difficult for people to cross the roads.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2022.