Punjab buckles under deluge

Punjab declared rain emergency on Thursday, while army troops joined the rescue efforts in the wake of flooding in low-lying areas, as heavy monsoon downpours continued to pummel the province with Rawalpindi bearing the brunt of nature's fury with 250 millimetres of rainfall.

Punjab witnessed the deadliest day of the current monsoon season, so far, with at least 63 deaths in the last 24 hours, officials said. The highest rainfall was recorded in Rawalpindi, causing flash flood in Nullah Leh, in which two people died.

Rains had pummelled different parts of the country incessantly since Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday, 60 people died, including 44 in Punjab and 16 in Balochistan. The rain continued unabated on Thursday, with Rawalpindi and Chakwal receiving massive downpour.

Nullah Leh, which snakes through the Rawalpindi city, surged by 21 feet. The authorities rushed to the low-lying areas to rescue marooned people, as emergency sirens blared. Four people died in the flood, while 58 people were shifted to safer places by the rescuers.

The water level also surged in Soan river in which Leh exited. Floodwater entered houses in low-lying areas, while dozens of vehicles were swept away. Rescuers 1122 and army personnel shifted 19 people stranded in Ladiyan area of Chakri to a safe place.

"Residents of vulnerable areas should prepare emergency kits with food, water, and essential medicines for three to five days in case of an emergency," the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in an alert.

The Rawalpindi administration declared a public holiday to keep people at home, with the meteorological department warning that heavy rain would continue until Friday. Officials said that the rescue operations had been launched in the entire district.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) said that more than 250mm of rainfall lashed the city. The maximum downpour was recorded in Chaklala at 239mm; besides 235mm was recorded in Gowalmandi, 220mm in New Katarian and 200mm in Pir Wadhai.

The flooded localities included Pir Wadhai, Tench Bhata, Ariya Mohalla, Dhok Syedan, Qureshiabad, Garja Road, Dhamial, Chakri, Adiala Road, Nadeem Colony and Javed Colony. Water entered the houses in these areas, damaging household item, furniture etc, besides vehicles, locals said.

This was highest rainfall in 24 years. On July 23, 2001, 335mm of rain was recorded that killed 74 people in Rawalpindi, and another 10 neighbouring Islamabad. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that Thursday's downpour was normal rainy spell.

In Chakwal, according to BBC, the district administration said 430mm of rainfall in 10 hours caused massive flooding in the district. The report said that two people died, while one was still missing, as Deputy Commissioner Sarah Hayat declared flood emergency in the district.

The massive amount of rainfall gave rise to the talk of cloudburst. However, the disaster management authorities discarded the notion, saying that satellite monitoring did not point to such phenomenon. They said that it was routing heavy monsoon rain spell.

In Lahore, provincial government officials told Reuters that heavy monsoon rains across Punjab killed at least 63 people and injured nearly 300 in the past 24 hours. The downpours caused flooding and building collapses, with most of the deaths caused by the roofs of weaker homes failing.

Lahore reported 15 deaths, Faisalabad nine, and Okara, Sahiwal and Pakpattan several more. More than 120 homes were damaged and six livestock killed. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said that rain also lashed Mandi Bahauddin, Jhelum, Mangla, Murree and Sheikhupura.

Meanwhile, army troops continued relief operations in flood-hit areas deploying helicopters, in the wake of flooding in Rasool Nagar Khurd, Burhan Nallah, Dhok Badar in Jhelum. Local administration and military personnel are monitoring the situation and efforts are under way to prevent further dangers.

Since late June, the monsoon rains have killed 103 people and injured 393 in Punjab alone, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). The NDMA later said that around 180 people have been killed, including 70 children, and about 500 injured since June 26.

Because of the torrential rains in Punjab, emergency was imposed in view of flood situation. All Wasa field teams were active and all disposal stations were being operated at full capacity. Wasa Punjab Director General Tayyab Farid said. "Rescue teams are on alert to deal with emergency situations."

The Punjab Home Department imposed restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, banning swimming in dam reservoirs, rivers, canals, ponds, lakes as well as floodwater pools in any spaces or public places. The restrictions would effective until August 30.

"Current weather conditions pose a serious threat to human life, particularly among those who enter standing or flowing water," a spokesperson said. "The water level in rivers, canals, and reservoirs is significantly high, and swimming or boating in these areas could result in fatal incidents."

The PDMA issued a fact-sheet of the rain situation in the province, saying that water flow in most rivers and barrages of Punjab was at normal level. PDMA chief Irfan Kathia said that in view of the possible flood threat, the PDMA had made the necessary arrangements.

Pakistan Meteorological Department Director Zaheer Babar told the BBC that the current monsoon rains were ending on Friday, but a new spell of rain would enter Punjab from July 21. After that the monsoon would become active again.

(WITH INPUTS FROM AGENCIES AND NEWS DESK)