At least seven dead as Lahore swamped by historic deluge

LAHORE:

At least seven people lost their lives, as record-breaking heavy rain pummelled Lahore on Wednesday, triggering a massive urban flooding and collapsing the Punjab capital’s infrastructure, weather officials and rescuers said.

A catastrophic 291 millimetres of rain in over nine hours flabbergasted everyone, turning the city into a vast lake. Officials said the rain was the heaviest in Lahore in the past 30 years.

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the media that the deaths occurred in roof collapse, drowning, and electrocution incidents. In a tweet, the chief minister said that the “unprecedented” downpour was unexpected.

The rain started at around 4am in the morning. The amount of rainfall varied from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

However, more than 200mm of rain was recorded in more than a dozen areas across the city.

The highest rainfall was recorded at Lakshmi Chowk at 291mm.

The areas, where more than 200mm rain fell, included Gulberg, Tajpura, Nishtar Town, Chowk Na Khuda, Johar Town, Paniwala Talab, Farrukhabad, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Iqbal Town and others.

At least seven fatalities were reported during the stormy rains.

According to rescue officials, three of them were electrocuted in different parts of the city, as many others died in a roof collapse incident, while one child drowned in floodwater.

They said Usman, a young motorcyclist, died of electrocution in Chungi Amar Sidhu Bazaar; an unidentified woman died of electrocution while passing through rainwater on Circular Road, while teenage Ehtesham died of electrocution in Baghbanpura.

Read Riverine flooding alert as monsoon sets in

They said that 11-year-old Muhammad Wali drowned in rainwater while playing in a park in Thokar Niaz Beg, while three people died when the roof of a house collapsed in Darbar Misri Shah. The dead were identified as Asad, five, Nawazish Ali, 40, and Mehwish, 40.

Lahore Division Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa stated that such intensity of rain had not been witnessed in the past 30 years. In a comparison, he added, 238mm of rainfall was recorded last year, and 288mm in 2018.

Almost all roads were inundated, while more than 100 electricity feeders operated by the Lahore Electricity Supply Company (Lesco) tripped, causing power outages in several areas and creating great difficulties for the people.

Rainwater also entered houses and some government facilities. The Lahore General Hospital was flooded with up to three feet of water standing in different wards. The situation posed great difficulties for the patients and the medical staff.

A large post-rain operation got under way to drain out the rainwater from streets and homes, and restoring electricity at the earliest. Chief Minister Naqvi and his cabinet ministers also visited various parts of the city to oversee the rescue work.

“Urban flooding and record-breaking rain of 272mm in just nine hours causing water ponding on roads in Lahore. Canal has also overflown,” Chief Minister Naqvi wrote on the microblogging website Twitter.

“All cabinet members and administration are in the field to clear the water. I am also monitoring the situation in the field and getting updates from all over Lahore continuously,” Naqvi added.

During his visit to various parts of the city, Naqvi stated: "Special teams have been deployed throughout the city to clear main roads and submerged areas.”

Read more City struggles to unclog choked drains

He specifically mentioned that Muslim Town, Garden Town and Gulberg were severely affected.

Referring to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast, Naqvi highlighted that another spell of rain was anticipated in the night, and the authorities were making necessary preparations to deal with any emergency situation.

Gufran Ahmed, the managing director of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), said that the rainwater across the city would be drained within three to four hours as all disposal systems were operating at full capacity.

A spokesperson for Lesco said the field staff had been on alert. The company had advised extreme caution to the field staff during electricity repair and restoration work since everything was wet or submerged in rainwater.

More rain expected

The PMD attributed the current wet spell to the infiltration of moist currents from the Arabian Sea into the upper regions of the country, along with the impact of a westerly wave in the central and upper parts of Pakistan.

It predicted intermittent showers in the next 24 hours in Lahore and other parts of Punjab, including Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Toba Tek Singh, and Mandi Bahauddin.

The Met Office forecasted rain, wind, and thundershowers in various districts of Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Balochistan.

Taking note of the situation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Punjab government to take urgent measures and mobilise the rescue teams amid heavy rains. He also took notice of electrocution in Lahore and sought a report on the incident.

The prime minister called for coordinated efforts by the district administration, Rescue 1122, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), and municipal and other departments to protect people’s lives.

Prime Minister Shehbaz stressed that all possible steps should be taken to relocate the people from villages to safe locations besides saving their cattle and livestock. Similarly, he said, all necessary measures should be taken to prevent urban flooding.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued directives to relevant departments to remain vigilant during the rainfall until July 8. Tourists had been advised to stay informed about weather conditions.

The NDMA spokesperson warned about the potential risks of landslides in hilly areas and flooding in lowlands as a result of the prevailing weather conditions. The authority stressed the need for preparedness and caution across the affected regions.