Thundershowers batter twin cities
Stormy winds felled dozens of trees and uprooted electricity pylons in the twin cities on Tuesday. PHOTOS: ONLINE/EXPRESS
Citizens were faced with various issues, including waterlogging and power outages, as heavy rain and thunderstorm battered the twin cities on the night between Monday and Tuesday.
The severe thunderstorm and powerful winds before the heavy downpour sent the billboards flying into the air while several trees were uprooted, causing significant damage to the cities’ infrastructure.
Many areas of Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Attock and Chakwal were deprived of power supply for several hours due to the falling of several electric poles, billboards and iron roofs hitting the electrical installations, resulting in the tripping of 177 feeders of the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO).
According to details, strong winds started blowing on the night between Monday and Tuesday in Rawalpindi Islamabad followed by heavy rain. As a result, scores of trees were uprooted on Peshawar Road, Express Highway, GT Road, Motorway, Srinagar Highway and Murree Road.
Sources said billboards and makeshift iron roofs were struck with high voltage power lines at various locations while dozens of electric polls fell in Shukrial, Bara Kahu, Chakwal and other areas, resulting in the tripping of 177 IESCO feeders at midnight.
Power, traffic disruption
According to IESCO officials, electricity supply to several areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock and Chakwal was suspended due to the tripping of more than a hundred feeders.
The visibility was also reduced due to the stormy conditions. The flow of traffic was also affected due to the accumulation of rainwater at various places on Murree Road, Express Highway, Rawal Road, Peshawar Road and GT Road.
A spokesperson for Rescue 1122 said the roof of a house on the Mohalla Rasool Nagar at Kari Road in Rawalpindi was blown off by the wind and it fell on the electric wires, breaking them. Rescuers immediately rushed to the spot and reported the incident to the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda). The spokesperson said the area was cordoned off to ensure the safety of the local people while the rescuers along with the Wapda officials separated the iron sheet from the electric wires. The spokesperson added that no loss of life was reported in the incident.
An IESCO spokesperson said the power supply was suspended at 177 feeders across the region due to severe storms and heavy rain in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock and surrounding areas. “At several places, power lines were broken due to the fall of trees and signboards,” he said. “Electricity poles and transformers also fell at several places, which were repaired by the IESCO staff. After the rain subsided, field formations restored power to more than 100 affected feeders within a short period,” he added.
Sources said the electricity supply was still affected on 25 feeders of Islamabad Circle, six feeders of Attock Circle and 12 feeders of Rawalpindi City Circle while the repair work was in progress.
On the other hand, a Wasa spokesperson said rainwater had accumulated on Murree Road due to the heavy downpour which was successfully pumped out with the help of heavy machinery. “The traffic has been kept flowing by draining the accumulated water at the Committee Chowk Underpass,” he said.
ICT admin springs into action
Earlier, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration mobilised its teams to clear the waterlogged roads and drains in the federal capital.
The assistant commissioners and magistrates assessed the situation to ensure that all necessary measures were taken to mitigate the impact of the flooding, an ICT spokesperson said.
With additional input from the APP
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2023.