LAHORE: Widespread monsoon rains that were torrential in some cities lashed the plains of Punjab and Sindh on Saturday, leaving three people, including two children, dead in Karachi and injuring five members of a family in Lahore.

Perennial problems like power breakdowns, inundation of streets and traffic jams accompanied the rain and exposed government claims of improving life in the country.

The spell of monsoon rains started in Punjab on Thursday. And Flood Fore­casting Bureau Director Ajmal Shad said here that it would persist for another two days, mainly covering the plains of Punjab and Sindh where there could be isolated heavy falls, especially in the next 24 hours.

The rain in Karachi was accompanied by gusty winds. It was moderate by Met Office standards (54mm at the airport by 6.30pm), but was too much more for the port city’s sewerage and traffic systems.

A 12-year-old child died in a house collapse while a 14-year-old drowned in a pool of rainwater in Karachi. A young man died from electrocution.

Lahore, the hill station of Murree and Rawalpindi-Islamabad were the most hit in Punjab where heavy rain paralysed life. Five members of a family, including women and children, were injured when the roof of their Ferozepur Road house collapsed.

The heaviest spell in Lahore was experienced in the morning when nearly 99mm of rainfall was recorded at the airport in just one and a half hours. Light rain continued to lash the city almost the entire day. Dark clouds were covering the sky by the filing of this report at 8pm, and it was drizzling in some localities.

The Met department recorded 120mm of rainfall at the airport till in the evening. Rain was not that heavy in the rest of the city — Gulberg 56mm, Johar Town, Misri Shah, Lahore Fort 40mm and Allama Iqbal Town 28.

Murree received 94mm, Islamabad (Zero Point 84, Saidpur 80, Golra 43), Mangla 51, Sahiwal 31, Rawalpindi (Shamsabad 30, Chaklala 8), Okara 30, Baha­walnagar 25, Kasur 20, Jhelum 19, Jhang 17, Mandi Bahauddin 13, Multan 3, Chakwal, Khanpur 2, Sialkot 1, Kara­chi (airport 54, Univer­sity Road 34, Landhi 26, North Karachi 13, Sharea Faisal 10, North Nazimabad, Gulshan Hadid 5), Diplo 10, Moenjodero 3, Islamkot 2, Malamjabba 40, Pattan, Balakot 24, Kohat 22, Kakul 11, Dir 5, Saidu Sharif 4, Kalam 2, Mirkhani, Drosh 1, Muzaffarabad 16, Kotli 11, Rawalakot, Garhidupatta 10 and Astore 9.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2016

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