The Pakistan Meteorological Department warns that another spell of heavy rainfall is expected in the next 24 hours
Residents stand by their partially submerged house as they wait to evacuate a flooded area after monsoon rains and rising water levels of the Chenab River in Jalalpur Pirwala, Punjab. Photo: REUTERS
Heavy monsoon rains inundated several parts of Lahore on Wednesday, exposing weaknesses in the city’s urban drainage system as roads and underpasses were submerged, traffic was disrupted and a motorcyclist was electrocuted after coming into contact with a live wire in accumulated rainwater.
The rains left major arteries including Lakshmi Chowk, Expo Center Road, Lawrence Road, Badami Bagh, Safanwala Chowk and low-lying residential areas under several feet of water. Vehicles ground to a halt on flooded roads while commuters were left stranded for hours as traffic moved at a crawl across the provincial capital.
At Lakshmi Chowk, flooding turned the busy intersection into what residents described as a virtual urban lake. Water also remained on sections of Expo Center Road well after the rain had stopped, raising new questions about the effectiveness of the city’s drainage infrastructure despite repeated official assurances of preparedness.
However, the Punjab government maintained that its emergency response remained effective. Officials said teams from the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), district administration, Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and other departments were deployed immediately following the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
According to the government, water was cleared from large pond areas and underpasses within hours while drainage operations were carried out simultaneously across 41 districts. Authorities also claimed that rainwater accumulated in Gujrat city was removed within three hours.
The PDMA reported that Gujranwala received the highest rainfall during the last 24 hours at 250 millimeters, followed by Sialkot (139 mm), Mandi Bahauddin (138 mm), Narowal (117 mm), Hafizabad (85 mm), Chakwal (70 mm) and Okara (64 mm).
Meanwhile, the irrigation department said a medium flood continued at the Marala Barrage on the Chenab river, where the inflow reached 224,496 cusecs and the outflow was 206,496 cusecs. Qadirabad Barrage also experienced moderate flooding, while a shallow flood continued at Khanki Barrage. Water flows at other rivers and dams remained within normal limits, officials said.
The PDMA said 17 people have lost their lives and 107 others have been injured in rain-related incidents since the start of the monsoon season. Of the deaths, 12 were due to collapsed dilapidated buildings, two from lightning and three from electrocution.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned that another spell of widespread heavy rainfall is expected in the next 24 hours across Lahore and other parts of Punjab, as well as Kashmir and the Islamabad-Rawalpindi region. The department warned that urban flooding, flash flooding in local streams and landslides in Murree and Galiyat remain possible and urges authorities and the public to take precautions.
