RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD/GUJAR KHAN: At least 10 people were killed, over 25 went missing and hundreds were forced out of their homes in low-lying areas as torrential rains lashed the northern parts of Punjab on Thursday.

The relentless showers, which began in the twin cities early on Thursday morning, continued well into the night, making life difficult for motorists, pedestrians as well as the protesters camped out on Constitution Avenue.

According to the Met Office, the capital received 79mm precipitation while neighbouring Rawalpindi received 76mm. These figures are expected to rise dramatically over the next 24 hours as more rain is expected in Islamabad, Hazara division and parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

In AJK, three soldiers and seven others were killed in landslides or flash floods that ravaged the mountainous region.

l Nearly a dozen dead, scores reported missing in AJK, Jhelum district l Flood warning for Nullah Leh, residents evacuated l Rail traffic between Lahore-Rawalpindi suspended

Meanwhile, in Dina, one person was killed and more than 20 people are feared dead following the collapse of a dilapidated bridge over the Nullah Kahan in Jhelum district.

In addition, land slides near Domeli affected rail traffic between Lahore and Rawalpindi as several trains were forced to stop mid-way near Gujjar Khan.

Traffic in the garrison city was badly affected as massive puddles caused traffic gridlocks on Murree Road, The Mall, Bank Road, Rashid Minhas Road, Ammar Chowk, Chaklala Scheme-II and Rawal Road.

In the capital, sectors G-9, I-9, I-10 and the I-11 Sabzi Mandi were all but inundated.

Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) officials were working to drain rainwater from the various construction sites for the metro bus project in a bid to save the machinery deployed there.

“The local government has failed to fill the potholes on the roads and the rain has further augmented the problem. If these were the roads in Islamabad, then the government would react immediately, but the complaints of the residents of the garrison city fell on deaf ears,” said Taimoor Ali, a resident of Bhabra Bazaar.

While a resident of Jamia Masjid Road, Sheikh Adrees, questioned whether the district coordination officer and City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) was busy in diffusing tensions between PTI, PAT and the government. “There is no arrangement to help the people drain out water and clear the choked nullahs,” he said.

The residents were unsure why the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) had failed to collect garbage on time and unclog the drains.

When contacted by Dawn, both RWMC and Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) tossed the blame on each other for the dilapidated condition of the city’s drainage system.

RWMC Managing Director Irfan Qureshi claimed that clearing logged water from roads was Wasa’s responsibility. “Leh Nullah is also the responsibility of Wasa and RWMC cleared all other nullahs in the city,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat said that the Leh Nullah did not cross the dangerous level of capacity. “Clearing choked drains is not the responsibility of Wasa, but being a responsible organisation, we have deployed our sanitation staff on Murree Road to drain out the water,” said Mr Shaukat.

Casualties in Kashmir

Rain destroyed around 200 houses, either partially or completely, killing at least 10 people, including three army men.

According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) official, Capt Fazal Wudood and soldier Ghulam Mohiyuddin and Mohammad Suleman lost their lives due to a landslide in Kehler Khurshidabad in Haveli district at about 11pm on Wednesday night. Three other soldiers were injured as a result of the landslide.

Seven other people were killed on Thursday, as a result of either drowning or house collapse. Khawaja Umar Rashid from State Disaster Management Authority (SMDA) told Dawn that Khalil Ahmed, 42, and Irfan Aziz, 22, drowned in Poonch district while catch fuel wood.

Gulshad Begum, 50, Bashiran Bibi, 70, and Fazal Hussain, 60, died as their houses collapsed in different parts of AJK. Meanwhile, Nasim Bibi, 50, and her 18-year-old daughter Sumayya drowned as their car was swept away by the raging Bhemla Nullah near Samahni.

According to SDMA Secretary Mohammad Akram Sohail, the total number of death in rain related incidents, reported since Monday, reach 14. He said that at least 40 houses and 3 shops were completely wiped off and over 133 houses were partially damaged.

AJK administration has been put on high alert in anticipation of floods.

Rail traffic suspended

Land sliding due to rain in Domeli and Dina affected the rail traffic on Thursday, forcing Pakistan Railways to stop the train service between Rawalpindi and Lahore.

The Railcar and the non-stop train from Rawalpindi to Lahore were stopped at Gujar Khan. Pakistan Express from Karachi was stopped at Lala Musa.

The land sliding occurred at three different places. The disruption in railway service caused panic among the passengers. Muhammad Tanveer, who was travelling to Lahore, complained that the railway officials were not presenting a clear picture to the passengers.

Pakistan Railways Rawalpindi Division Superintendent Munawar Khan told Dawn that there was land sliding at Domaili, near Jhelum, and ensured that the railway engineers were working to fix the problem.

He said that the rail traffic will be resumed once the engineers give a green signal.

Bridge collapse

Over 25 people, mostly youth, plunged and drowned in a flash flooded nullah near Dina as a bridge collapsed on Thursday evening.

According to sources, around 25 to 30 locals were viewing the heavy flowing nullah, which had accumulated after more than 20 hours of rain. The old and dilapidated bridge caved into the pressure of fast flowing water underneath, causing all the occupants to fall into the nullah.

According to Furqan Chughtai, a local newsman, at least three motorbikes, a van and small vehicle also fell and swept away with the tide.

The Rescue 1122 sources confirmed that two persons had been rescued, one dead and one unconscious. The rescue operation that started 30 minutes after the tragedy, had to stop at about 10.15pm due to low visibility.

Published in Dawn, September 05th, 2014