- The torrential rains inundated low-lying areas of the provincial capital.
- 205 mm of rain was recorded in the airport area, 204 mm in Gulshan Ravi.
- CM Naqvi appreciated the “remarkable efforts” of WASA and the district administration.
At least two people drowned in rainwater and another was injured as intermittent heavy monsoon rains lashed Lahore, throwing life out of gear in the provincial capital due to a heavy downpour of 203 mm.
According to Rescue 1122 sources, two teenage boys, aged 14 years and 11 years respectively, drowned in rainwater in Sherakot Babu Sabu and Nawan Kot areas of the city.
Another person was injured in a roof collapse incident in Raiwand area, he said.
The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) said in a statement that torrential rains inundated low-lying areas of the provincial capital, with the airport area receiving the heaviest rainfall.
It said that 205 mm of rain was recorded in the airport area, 204 mm in Gulshan Ravi, 193 mm in Tajpura SDO office area and 190 mm in Nishtar Town.
The city received torrential rain for 6 hours 45 minutes and rain water also entered Jinnah Hospital and General Hospital.
In a tweet in the evening, Punjab’s interim chief minister Mohsin Naqvi said that Lahore received heavy rainfall of 203 mm in just five hours.
He appreciated WASA and the district administration for their remarkable efforts in clearing 95% water logging in the city. Keep up the great work!”.
Meanwhile, due to heavy rains, the outer wall of Noorjahan tomb also collapsed.
According to the spokesperson, the Walled City Authority has taken over the work of the mausoleum from the Archaeological Department a month back.
The spokesman said the northern outer wall and some other parts of the mausoleum were in a dilapidated condition and work would be taken up soon to preserve the damaged parts of the historic site.
The day began with a cloudburst in the provincial capital that flooded roads and low-lying areas, throwing life out of gear.
Citizens walk through streets and roads filled with rainwater in the provincial capital.
As it rained in the city, at least 70 feeders of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) went down, causing power outages in several areas.
Lesco spokesman said that soon the work of restoring power supply would be started.
The interim CM visited various areas of Lahore to inspect the situation after the rains.
He directed the city administration and WASA to expeditiously remove rainwater from the roads using all available resources.
Naqvi also ordered the officers to increase the number of dewatering pumps installed in the city and to be in the field to solve the problems of the citizens.
Apart from this, he also ordered to make every possible effort to keep the traffic running without any hindrance.
On Friday, the Meteorological Department said that monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal are continuously entering the country.
A western trough is also affecting the upper parts of the country which is likely to persist for the next few days.
It also warned of urban flooding in low-lying areas of Lahore and other upland parts of the country.
Two died due to rain in KP
A report by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Saturday that four people were killed and one person injured due to heavy rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The authority said 12 houses were partially damaged due to floods and rains across the province.
It added that nine houses were partially damaged due to the natural calamity in Lower Chitral.
When contacted, a spokesperson of the relief department said that KP relief department, district administration, PDMA, rescue 1122, civil defense and concerned institutions were on alert.
He said that a detailed assessment of the damage would be done as soon as the flood water receded in Lower Chitral. He said the affected people in Lower Chitral have already been shifted to safer places.
Food items (dry ration) were provided to the affected families, the official said.
He said that the PDMA had already issued a letter to all concerned institutions and district administrations on July 17 and 19 to take precautionary measures against possible heavy rains and floods.
rain in balochistan
Heavy rains also occurred in Barkhan, Rakhani and Koh-e-Sulaiman areas of Balochistan.
The torrential rains also triggered landslides in the Fort Munro area, suspending traffic on the national highway connecting the two provinces.
Long queues of vehicles formed as the highway was closed to traffic near Fort Monroe.
