LAHORE , July 22, 2023: Interim Punjab Minister for Information and Municipality Amir Mir and interim Minister for Housing Azfar Ali Nasir on Saturday paid an emergency visit to areas inundated by rain.
The areas included Garden Town, Jail Road, Davies Road, Lakshami Chowk, Lower Mall, Ferozepur Road, Gaddafi Stadium and Kalma Chowk.
Mir said timely action had helped drain water from various areas. He said efforts were being made to drain water from other areas as well. “Wasa and other departments are carrying out the activity vigilantly,” he added.
“The Wasa MD and other officers are present in the field to oversee the progress,” he said.
He went on to say that water had been drained from Lakshami chowk and other areas, adding that water would be drained from all areas. “All relevant departments have been put on alert,” he added.
Earlier, interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited several inundated areas and directed the officials to expeditiously drain out water. He said he would leave no stone unturned in ensuring relief for people.
Preventive measures
Officials have restricted citizens from swimming in the Ravi and canals for a week. They said water levels were rising in the rivers and there were reports of flooding in some villages due to overflowing streams.
In view of the situation, Lahore Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rafia Haider said in a notification that the public, especially youth, while visiting River Ravi and canals bathe in these water bodies, do boating and play on their banks, putting their lives in danger.
“Heavy rain spell[s] this season may cause unfortunate incidents of drowning and loss of precious human lives,” the notification says.
Casualties
Four people are reported dead in Mansehra and the Chitral River is in ‘very high’ flood. The loss of lives has taken place in incidents of roof and wall collapse in Mansehra district.
The PDMA said “there is a very high flood level in the Chitral River, which has partially damaged nine houses and five public infrastructures as well as inundated six houses in the Chitral district.” It said the flood had caused the river to overflow, enter nearby houses and damage the standing crops along the river course.
Saturday’s rain spell
The latest monsoon spell hit several Punjab cities, including Lahore, on Saturday, dropping temperatures to many degrees to the much relief of people.
Rain was also reported in Bhakkar, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Okara, and adjacent areas where it has turned the weather pleasant and brought the mercury considerably down in these areas.
In Lahore, light-to-heavy rain continues in different areas including Abbot Road, Davis Road, Lakshmi Chowk, Mall Raod, Shimla Pahari, Data Darbar, Gulshan Ravi, Johar Town, Gulberg, Samanabad, Baghbanpura, Garhi Shahu and Burki.
The highest rainfall of 173 millimeters was recorded I Gulshan-e-Ravi, with eight areas of Lahore, including Lakshmi Chowk, Nisthar Town and Qurtaba Chowk, receiving above 100mm rain so far.
It was recorded 88mm at Jail Road, 84mm at airport, 87mm in Gulberg, 95mm at Upper Mall while Pani Wala Talab recorded 141mm rainfall.
The rain however caused water accumulation on various roads, disrupting traffic flow. It has also inundated low-lying areas in Lahore, Kasur and other cities with power outage in several areas.
Temperature of some major cities recorded this morning:
Islamabad and Quetta twenty-six degree centigrade, Lahore and Peshawar twenty-nine, Karachi thirty, Gilgit twenty-two, Murree eighteen and Muzaffarabad twenty-five degree centigrade.
Meanwhile, the Met department forecast that monsoon currents are continuously penetrating in the country from Bay of Bengal. A westerly trough is also affecting upper parts of the country that may persist during the next few days.