RAWALPINDI: Two people died when their mud house on Kuri Road collapsed due to the heavy rain in the garrison city in the early hours of Tuesday while a young man drowned in Soan River during the rain.

Mukhtar Ahmed, 50, and 45-year-old Ameera Bibi died on the spot while 14-year-old Amina Mukhtar received serious injuries and was taken to the Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

“The whole family was trapped in debris when the roof collapsed as they were sleeping,” a police official said.

A rescue official said the mud house had been in bad condition and that they had moved the victims to the hospital after getting a call in the morning.

Separately, in the Pariyal Village in the limits of the Chauntra police station, 27-year-old Hassan Mubarak drowned as he was swimming in a nullah due to a flash wave.

Rescue officials say they have not yet found the body and are continuing with the search.

More rains for 24 hours

The heavy rain in Rawalpindi and Islamabad raised the water level in Soan River and Leh Nullah and inundated streets and roads in the garrison city.

The Met Office recorded 39 millimetres of rain in Golra, 58mm in Zero Point, 17mm in Saidpur, 56mm in Bokra, 60mm in Chakwal, 91mm in Shamsabad and 76mm at the Islamabad International Airport.

The rain started late at night and continued for two hours without any break.

The Met Office has predicted more rains in the next 24 hours.

The increased water level in Leh Nullah has affected low-lying areas such as Nadeem Colony, Javed Colony, Muslim Colony, Jamia Masjid Road, Banni Chowk, Sadiqabad and other areas.

Rawal Dam spillways opened

The Rawal Dam spillways were opened on Tuesday as the water in the reservoir reached the maximum level at 1,752 feet for the second time this week after Tuesday night’s heavy downpour.

The total area of the dam is 37,000 acre feet.

An official of the Small Dams Organisation told Dawn that this year, the spillways were opened for the second time in a week due to the rains. He said sirens were turned on before the spillways were opened so locals are warned not to fish or bathe downstream.

The water shortage has also ended as the ground water level in the city and cantonment areas has risen

“The tubewells function better after the rains as the ground water level rises,” a senior Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) official said.

The current monsoon spell has considerably augmented the water level in Khanpur, Rawal and Simly dams, ensuring adequate water supply to Rawalpindi and Islamabad for the next 12 months.

Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood told Dawn the agency will remain on alert for handling emergencies and that it has moved machinery near low-lying areas for draining out water.

Rainwater in the airport

Rainwater is said to have entered the new Islamabad International Airport. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), on the other hand, has denied this and said rainwater did not disturb the flight operation nor were there any problems for passengers.

“This is to clarify that no rainwater entered in lounges inside the passenger terminal building last night or early morning today and all operations are completely normal [at the airport],” a CAA spokesperson said.

He said a small amount of rainwater did enter the concourse hall, which is an open area on Level 2 where people see off and welcome passengers.

The janitorial staff cleared the affected area, all operations remained normal and passengers faced no problems.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2018