A rickshaw travels on an inundated street in Lahore. Twitter
Punjab capital Lahore was inundated on Wednesday after a massive deluge poured down on the city, leaving authorities scrambling to drain roads and restore power as the Met Office warned of more rain over the next 24 hours.
According to figures provided by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), parts of the city recorded nearly 300mm of rainfall in less than 12 hours, with the minimum amount recorded on its outskirts exceeding 100mm. In data provided to media around 2 p.m., the agency said that it had recorded two spells of rain between 3:55 a.m. and 1:35 p.m., with the first lasting nearly five hours—from 3:55 a.m. to 8:50 a.m.—and the second roughly four hours—from 9:20 a.m. till 1:35 p.m.
In the first spell, it said, a maximum of 180mm rainfall was recorded at Nishter Town, while in the second a maximum of 132mm was recorded at Gulshan-e-Ravi. Overall, it said, Jail Road recorded 145mm of rain; Airport 127mm; Gulberg 208mm; Lakshmi Chowk 291mm; Upper Mall 192mm; Mughalpura 215mm; Tajpura 249mm; Nishter Town 277mm; Chowk Nakhuda 205mm; Pani Wala Talab 268mm; Farrukhabad 237mm; Gulshan-e-Ravi 268mm; Iqbal Town 232mm; Samanabad 178mm; Johar Town 260mm; and Qurtaba Chowk 270mm.
WASA officials have said efforts are underway to drain flooded streets across the city, stressing they hope to achieve this before another spell of rain forecast for Wednesday evening.
Speaking with media, Lahore Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa claimed the deluge had broken 30-year-old records, adding that the maximum rainfall recorded last year had been 238mm, while in 2018 it had peaked at 288mm.
In a posting on Twitter, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said “record-breaking” rain in less than 10 hours had resulted in urban flooding and water accumulation on roads, adding that the canal that flows through the city had also overflowed. Speaking with media while touring the city and monitoring drainage operations, he said authorities expected another spell of rain to hit Lahore around 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The aim, he said, was to clear the water currently accumulated by that time so the next spell would not trigger additional ponding in the city.
Meanwhile, several areas of the city reported prolonged power outages, as authorities said distribution networks had been impacted by the rains.
In an advisory, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned that monsoon rains are expected to intermittently continue in Lahore over the next 24 hours, with the current spell to fully subside on July 7 (Friday). It has also forecast heavy rainfall in other parts of Punjab, including Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Toba Tek Singh, and Mandi Bahauddin.
P.M. takes notice
Taking notice of the situation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Punjab caretaker chief minister to immediately mobilize relief teams and ensure people’s lives and property were protected. Ordering the federal government and the National Disaster Management Authority to assist the provincial government if necessary, he said steps should be taken to arrange alternative traffic routes and drain the accumulated rainwater.
According to local media, six people—including two children—died due to various rain-related incidents such as roof collapses and electrocution.