A fresh spell of monsoon rains wreaked havoc across the country on Wednesday killing over 17 people and injuring dozens. Meanwhile, as areas in northwest and central Pakistan are still recovering from floods earlier this month, high-flood warnings and evacuation notices were issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The intermittent downpour that started on Tuesday night lashed major cities, marring Independence Day celebrations and causing major infrastructure damages.
The torrential rains and the ensuing flooding resulted in the death of at least nine people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Four members of a family were killed in district Haripur, when the roof of their house collapsed. Similarly, a woman and her child were killed in southern Karak district.
In Swat, two people died when floods triggered by the heavy rain hit parts of the valley. A high-level flood was recorded in the Elum stream that destroyed five houses and swamped dozens of villages.
Meanwhile, landslides blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) and other roads in Gilgit-Baltistan, suspending all traffic. Repair work was under way until the filing of this report.
In Punjab, at least four people lost their lives and over 40 others were injured because of the torrential rains in Faisalabad. Utilities were disrupted and the sewerage system was choked.
Muhammad Aamir’s six-month-old daughter died after the downpour caused his houses’s roof to collapse. Meanwhile, five other members of his family were pulled out of the debris and taken to the hospital. In another incident, a three-storey building in Jhang Bazaar caved in and resulted in the death of two women and a child. There were reports of more than a dozen houses collapsing.
Muhammad Ahsan, also a resident of Jhang Bazaar, said the streets and houses of the neighbourhood started flooding within 15 minutes of the rain. “I called the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) emergency centre and was told that the agency could not offer me any help,” he said.
Faisalabad received 147 millimeters of rain on Wednesday and there is a prediction of heavy thunderstorms in the city for on Thursday (today).
The 172 millimeters of rain recorded in Lahore also resulted in the loss of lives and property. Three people died and 13 others were injured in incidents across the metropolis. Underpasses were inundated, bringing traffic there to a standstill. As many as 37 Lahore Electricity Supply Company (Lesco) feeders tripped causing widespread outages.
Meanwhile, in the low-lying areas of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, residents grappled with rainwater that entered their houses. Many localities, including Javed Colony, Arya Mohalla, Muslim Colony, Dhoke Elahi Bux and Nadeem Colony, were inundated.
According to the Met Department, a record high of 99 millimeters of rain was recorded in Rawalpindi.
Flood warnings
High flood is expected in nalas and rivers across Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in next two to three days, said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in an advisory issued on Wednesday.
Across K-P, three villages in Mir Azam Michen Khel, Painda Michan Khel and Sarkati Michan Khel located along the Kurram River bank were flooded. Around 10,000 people are expected to evacuate their houses in the next 24 hours.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 15th, 2013.
