Heavy downpour wreaks havoc in Rawalpindi

Storm results in 8-hour power outage, disrupting daily life & causing traffic chaos

RAWALPINDI:

Heavy rainfall in the city and surrounding areas has once again led to widespread destruction.

The walls of four houses in various areas and the roof of a house in Jabi collapsed after the continued pelting of thunderous rain. An eight-hour power outage brought at least half of the city, to a standstill which also led to the malfunctioning of many household UPS systems. Fortunately, while the damages incurred heavy financial losses, no casualties were reported.

All low-lying areas were submerged in water, with rainwater even entering houses. The roads filled up and turned into ponds. In the morning, the traffic system was completely disrupted and paralysed during school and office hours, affecting students and employees alike.

Additionally, the three dams that supply water to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad—Rawal Dam, Simly Dam and Khanpur Dam—were filled to capacity. The spillways of Rawal Dam were opened for the second time in a week. This caused water to flow into Korang Nullah and the Soan River.

Rawal Dam has a water storage capacity of 1,752 acre-feet. The spillways were opened after 1,751 acre-feet of water was collected. On the other hand, Khanpur Dam, which has a water storage capacity of 1,982 acre-feet, has only 7 acre-feet of space remaining. The opening of the spillways caused a large number of fish to flow into the Korang Nullah. Enthusiasts and fishermen spent the entire Tuesday fishing in the Korang Nullah.

The Islamabad Deputy Commissioner has imposed a ban on swimming in Korang Nullah, while the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner has imposed a similar ban on swimming in Soan River and Nullah Leh.

Due to heavy rainfall, walls of houses in Jaba, Wakeel Colony, Sharon Colony and Jabi collapsed. The rain has also caused high-level flooding in Nullah Leh and 15 other storm drains. In the district courts, the roofs of old buildings continued to leak.

In the low-lying areas of the inner city water entered streets, homes, and shops. The main roads of the city, such as Murree Road, Mall Road, Mareer Chowk, Liaquat Bagh Chowk, Mall Road underpasses, Committee Chowk, Raheemabad Bridge, Chohar Chowk and Rawal Road turned into ponds.

Additionally, owing to an 8-hour electricity outage, schools were left in darkness, and educational activities could not take place.