Lahore reels as heavy rains pummel Punjab cities

Lahore and other parts of upper and central Punjab were lashed by heavy rain and strong winds on Thursday, bringing much-needed respite to the people suffering from hot and muggy weather, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Although cities in upper Punjab have been receiving downpours for the last several days, it was the first spell of heavy rain in the provincial capital where roads were inundated and the water even entered the Civil Secretariat, bringing all kind of official work to a halt.   

Although the first spell of heavy monsoon showers, which lashed Lahore and adjoining areas, provided a breather to the heat-stricken people of the city, yet it also created discomfort for them as it turned low-lying areas and roads into pools of water, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

Pani Wala Talab area of the Punjab capital received the highest amount of rainfall totaling 78 millimeters followed by 75 millimeters at Lukhshmi Chowk, 67 millimeters at Gulshan Ravi, 63 millimeters at Farrukhabad, 55 millimeters at Upper Mall, 53 millimeters at Chowk Nakhuda, 49.5 millimeters at WASA’s head office in Gulberg, 46 millimeters at Samanabad, 44 millimeters at Johar Town, 32 millimeters at Mughalpura, 28 millimeters at Allama Iqbal Town and 16 millimeters at Tajpura. 

Water enters people’s homes at Mozang

So heavy was the spell of rain in the city that the water even entered people’s homes in Sadiq Park area of Mozang, damaging furniture and other precious items. 

A citizen told 24News that all this was the result of poor drainage system of the city. “Such kind of situation can be avoided only if the concerned departments do their work properly,” he added.   

Water enters Children, Jinnah, Services hospitals:

The torrential rain in Lahore did not spare hospitals either as water accumulated at the entry and premises of Children Hospital, Jinnah Hospital and Services Hospital, creating lot of inconvenience for the patients as well as their attendants. 

Meanwhile, taking notice of deluge in the provincial capital and other cities, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz ordered the concerned departments to take steps to drain out the water as early as possible. 

He gave special instructions to the commissioners and deputy commissioners of these cities to utilize all resources for the purpose. Reporters: Durre Nayab, Shahid Sipra, Azmat Awan, Shahzad Khan Abdali,    

Officers as well as other employees were left stranded in knee-deep water while the day temperature dropped to 27 degrees Celsius.   

Heavy rain not only created inconvenience for the motorists but also left several areas of the city without power as over 170 LESCO feeders tripped.

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Torrential rains in Sarai Alamgir, a city near Jehlum, for the second consecutive day, saw water entering people’s homes, shops and fields, causing the loss of millions of rupees to farmers as well as shopkeepers. 

Similarly, it rained cats and dogs in Gujranwala which turned roads into pools of water.    

The situation was no different in Gujar Khan, a city not far away from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, where heavy flood in nullahs resulted in water bursting the banks and entering nearby localities. Several areas also plunged into darkness due to the power breakdown.  

One death was reported from Attock where it had been raining for the past three days. 

Reporters: Romail Ilyas, Qaiser Khokhar, Durre Nayab, Shahid Sipra, Sagheer Ahmed Rathore, Zahid Iqbal Rana, Malik Irfan Younus and Muhammad Imran