RAWALPINDI: First monsoon rain lashed the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Saturday, bringing respite to the residents from the sultry weather. The Met Office has forecast more rains today (Sunday).

According to the Met Office, Saidpur received 39mm rain, Golra 25mm, Zero Point 18mm, Bokra 10mm and Airport 4mm in Islamabad while in Rawalpindi, Shamsabad received 10mm rain and Chaklala 8mm.

“A low pressure developed over the northern parts of the country and we expect more rain on Sunday,” said an official of the Meteorological Department.

The twin cities were heavily overcast in the morning which brought a strong spell ofrain.

When contacted, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood said the situation was under control and the Leh Nullah rose to four feet and was normal.

He said that five facilitation centres had been established for monitoring relief work in case of unusually heavy rainfall which causes floods in Leh Nullah.

These camps had been set up at Moti Mahal, Commercial Market, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, Bagh Sardaran and Liaquat Bagh.

He said a Wasa emergency response unit will be ready with machinery and trained staff to pump out water from low-lying areas in the shortest possible time.

He said the monsoon season started from July 15 and the agency had planned in advance for the rainy season to minimise the hardships of people.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2020