Rawalpindi/Lahore:
Punjab declared the emergency of rain on Thursday, while the army troops joined the rescue efforts due to floods in low areas, while the heavy monsors of the Monzón continued to hit the province with Rawalpindi with the worst part of the fury of nature with 250 millimeters of rain.
Punjab witnessed the deadliest day of the current season of the monsoon, so far, with at least 63 deaths in the last 24 hours, authorities said. The highest rain was recorded in Rawalpindi, causing sudden flooding in Nullah Leh, in which two people died.
The rains had hit different parts of the country incessantly since Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday, 60 people died, including 44 in Punjab and 16 in Baluchistan. The rain continued incessant on Thursday, with Rawalpindi and Chakwal receiving a massive downpour.
Nullah Leh, which winds through the city of Rawalpindi, increased by 21 feet. The authorities rushed to the low areas to rescue people abandoned, while emergency sirens sounded. Four people died in the flood, while 58 people were transferred to safer places by rescuers.
The water level also emerged in the Soan River where Leh came out. Flood water entered houses in low areas, while dozen vehicles were dragged. The 1122 rescuers and the army staff changed 19 people stranded in the Ladiyan de Chakri area to a safe place.
“Residents of vulnerable areas must prepare emergency kits with essential food, water and medications for three or five days in case of emergency,” said the National Authority for Disaster Management (NDMA) on an alert.
Rawalpindi’s administration declared a holiday to keep people at home, with the department of meteorology that warns that heavy rains would continue until Friday. The authorities said the rescue operations had been launched throughout the district.
The water and sanitation agency (WASA) said that more than 250 mm of rain whipped the city. The maximum downpour was recorded in Chaklala at 239 mm; In addition, 235 mm was recorded in Gowalmandi, 220 mm in the new katario and 200 mm in Pir Wadhai.
The flooded towns included Pir Wadhai, Tench Bhata, Ariya Mohalla, Dhok Syedan, Qureshiabad, Garja Road, Dhamial, Chakri, Adiala Road, Nadeem Colony and Javed Colony. The water entered the houses in these areas, damaging the house of the home, the furniture, etc., in addition to the vehicles, the premises said.
This was the maximum rain in 24 years. On July 23, 2001, 335 mm of rain were recorded that killed 74 people in Rawalpindi and 10 other Islamabad neighbors. The Pakistan’s department of Meteorology (PMD) said Thursday’s downpour was a normal rainy spell.
In Chakwal, according to the BBC, the district administration said that 430 mm of rain in 10 hours caused mass floods in the district. The report said two people died, while one was still missing, since the commissioner attached Sarah Hayat declared an emergency flood in the district.
The large amount of rain gave rise to the Cloudburst talk. However, the disaster management authorities ruled out the notion, saying that satellite monitoring did not point to such a phenomenon. They said he was giving up a strong monzonic rain spell.
In Lahore, the provincial government officials told Reuters that the heavy rains of the Monzón in Punjab killed at least 63 people and wounded almost 300 in the last 24 hours. The downpours caused floods and collapses of construction, with most of the deaths caused by the roofs of the weakest houses that failed.
Lahore reported 15 deaths, Faisalabad Nine, and Okara, Sahiwal and Pakpattan several more. More than 120 houses were damaged and six murdered cattle. The Provincial Authority for Disaster Management (PDMA) said the rain also hit Mandi Bahauddin, Jhelum, Mangla, Murree and Sheikhupura.
Meanwhile, army troops continued help operations in areas affected by floods that deployed helicopters, following floods in Rasoo Nagar Khurd, Burhan Nallah, Dhok Badar in Jhelum. Local administration and military personnel are monitoring the situation and efforts are being made to avoid more danger.
Since the end of June, the Monzón rains have killed 103 people and wounded 393 only in Punjab, according to the Provincial Authority of Disaster Management (PDMA). Later, the NDMA said that around 180 people have been killed, including 70 children and about 500 injured since June 26.
Due to the torrential rains in Punjab, an emergency was imposed in view of the flood situation. All WASA field teams were active and all elimination stations were operating at full capacity. The general director of Wasa Punjab, Tayyab Farid, said. “Rescue teams are on alert to deal with emergency situations.”
The Punjab Department of Interior imposed restrictions under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which prohibits swimming in dams of dams, rivers, channels, ponds, lakes and flood water swimming pools in any public space or place. The restrictions are in force until August 30.
“Current climatic conditions represent a serious threat to human life, particularly among those who enter water standing or flow,” said a spokesman. “The water level in rivers, channels and reservoirs is significantly high, and swimming or navigation in these areas could lead to fatal incidents.”
The PDMA issued a sheet of facts of the rain situation in the province, saying that the flow of water in most rivers and barriers of Punjab was at the normal level. PDMA head, Irfan Kathia, said that in view of the possible threat of flooding, the PDMA had made the necessary arrangements.
The director of the Department of Meteorology of Pakistan, Zaheer Babar, told the BBC that the current monzón rains would end on Friday, but a new rain spell would enter Punjab from July 21. After that, the monsoon would become active again.
(With agencies supplies and news desktop)
