Monsoon downpour: Heavy rain turns twin cities’ roads into rivulets

Rain-related incident claims two lives.

ISLAMABAD:

Though the heavy downpour on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning brought the temperature down, it turned thoroughfares in the twin cities into rivulets, besides inundating many low-lying areas.

Amid the rain, a truck driver and his assistant were killed after their truck overturned on Peshawar Road.

The Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD) has issued pre-flood warnings for Rawalpindi after the heavy rain lashed the city early on Thursday morning.

A boy enjoys a bike ride through a flooded street (top left); large cracks have emerged on either side of the Zero Point overpass. PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS

PMD Assistant Meteorologist Mohammad Junaid told The Express Tribune, however, that there was no risk of flash-floods in Rawalpindi at the moment. He said that the pre-flood alerts have been issued to avoid any untoward situation in case of further rains. He said that the rain was expected to continue in the twin cities for two more days in the twin cities.

The rain brought the temperature down from 34 degrees Celsius on Wednesday to 28 degrees on Thursday, he said. According to the PMD, Chaklala received 129 milimetres (mm) of rain, Shamsabad 48 mm, Bokhra 93 mm, Zero Point 86 mm Saidpur 43mm and Golra 22 mm of rain.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Spokesperson Dr Ayesha Eshani said that the bodies of the truck driver, Azhar Ali, 32, and his helper Arsalan Khan, 22, were brought to the hospital at 7:30am. “They both had sustained head injuries in the accident,” she said.

Meanwhile, a seven-year-old girl fell into the Korang River but was rescued soon after and taken to Pims for treatment.

A boy enjoys a bike ride through a flooded street (top left); large cracks have emerged on either side of the Zero Point overpass. PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS

Meanwhile, rainwater entered many houses in low-laying areas in the garrison city. Residents were seen using buckets to bail water out of their houses.

Massive traffic jams were also seen on rain-flooded roads in areas where the construction work on the metro bus project is in progress.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2014.