Monsoon downpour swamps Pindi
The first torrential monsoon rainfall of the season, which lashed the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Friday, brought Rawalpindi to a standstill on Friday, inundating roads, markets and residential neighbourhoods, disrupting transport and utilities, and exposing significant shortcomings in the city's drainage and flood management infrastructure.
The district administration declared a rain emergency after the prolonged downpour submerged major roads and low-lying areas, leaving large sections of the city waterlogged for several hours. Residents in the worst-hit neighbourhoods reported floodwater rising between three and four feet, forcing families to remove water from their homes without official assistance.
According to the Rawalpindi Flood Control Room, the rain spell began at 4.40am and continued until 2.40pm, with the Leh Nullah basin receiving an average of 55.72 millimetres of rainfall. The highest rainfall, 103mm, was recorded at Kachehri Chaklala, followed by 73mm at Shamsabad, 68mm at Saidpur Village, 65mm at the Pakistan Meteorological Department's H-8 observatory, 62mm at Pirwadhai, 59mm at New Katarian, 52mm at Golra and 42mm at Bokra.
The water level in Nullah Leh rose steadily during the day, reaching 10 feet at Katarian and nine feet at Gawalmandi, prompting the authorities to issue a pre-alert for Gawalmandi. Officials continued monitoring the situation as water levels approached the alert threshold.
Electricity supply was suspended across more than half of the city shortly after the rain began, while gas supplies were also disrupted in several localities.
Major thoroughfares, including Murree Road, Mall Road, Peshawar Road, Airport Road, Rawal Road and roads throughout Saddar, were submerged, bringing traffic to a virtual standstill. Newly constructed underpasses at Kachehri Chowk, Committee Chowk, Rahimabad, Misrial Road and Adiala Road were flooded after drainage systems failed, leaving numerous vehicles stranded.
The 20-kilometre Nullah Leh and 15 seasonal drains flowing through Rawalpindi and the cantonment area experienced moderate flooding. During the downpour, a child reportedly drowned in a stormwater drain near Friends Colony on Misrial Road while playing nearby. Rescue 1122 teams launched an immediate search operation.
The heavy rainfall also exposed deficiencies in several public buildings and recently completed development projects. Despite a renovation project worth Rs150 million, Raja Bazaar suffered extensive flooding after rainwater entered shops because of inadequate drainage, causing traders losses estimated in the millions of rupees.