ISLAMABAD: Torrential rains on Thursday claimed four lives and damaged several residences and buildings in the low-lying areas of the twin cities.

Police said that a family of three, including a five-year-old girl, was killed when the roof of a house collapsed in Sector H-9.

Separately, a 24-year-old woman was killed when the wall of a house in Sector G-13 collapsed due to heavy rains.

Awami Workers Party General Secretary Nusrat Hussain blamed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for the incident in Sector H-9.

He told Dawn that three days ago, a team from the CDA enforcement department demolished a wall adjacent to the family’s house.

“The demolition of that wall weakened the walks of the family’s house, which collapsed during Thursday’s rains. The roof of the house also collapsed,” he said.

After the incident, residents of the area reached the scene and recovered the bodies of the couple, while their daughter was rescued alive at the time.

“Residents called Rescue 1122, but the ambulance took almost two hours to reach the area, and the girl could not survive,” he said.

“Locals then staged a protest against CDA, holding them responsible for the deaths,” he said.

Local AWP organizer Daniel Masih said that the working Christian community of Islamabad continued to be subject to severe discrimination, despite being crucial cogs in the city’s economy.

Heavy rains also flooded several buildings across the city, and rainwater entered low-lying houses and basements in most sectors.

Meanwhile in Rawalpindi, water inundated nearly all low-lying areas around the banks of Leh Nullah and the other drains passing through the city and cantonment areas. The rising waters also flooded houses and private buildings.

The water level in Leh Nullah rose to 20 feet, flooding adjacent residential areas and forcing people to leave their houses until the water receded.

Two units of the army’s 111 Brigade were called in to deal with an emergency situation. The military personnel remained on hand with boats to rescue people living in low-lying areas.

After the rains stopped, Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), district administration and Rescue 1122 officials were on high alert and worked to shift residents of low-lying areas to safer places.

“Most people went back to their localities soon after the rains stopped,” said Deputy Commissioner Talat Mehmood Gondal.

He said the rescue teams faced difficulties since most people did not want to leave their houses. “Luckily, the water start receding in two hours and a majority of people and public property remained undamaged,” he said.

The Meteorological Department recorded 103mm of rainfall in Islamabad and 97mm in Rawalpindi, and has forecast heavy rain in the twin cities over the next 24 hours.

A senior local administration official told Dawn that the only way to stop Leh Nullah overflowing was the construction of the Leh Nullah Expressway project, which had been shelved by the PML-N government in 2008.

“Under the project, retaining walls and an expressway was to be constructed on both sides of the Leh Nullah, from Moti Mehal Cinema to 9th Avenue, and sewage was to be transferred to Adiala for treatment,” he said.

Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood said that heavy rainfall in the catchment area of Leh Nullah was the main reason for the flash flood.

On the other hand, residents of low-lying areas said local authorities had not taken preventive steps. “The heaps of garbage and construction material left along Leh Nullah by the Cantonment Board workers caused the flood,” said Farhan Hussain, a resident of Javed Colony.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2017