LAHORE: A seven-hour long spell of monsoon rain played havoc with the city as it is said to have broken the record of the last 20 years with a maximum rain of 238mm.

Heavy rain with thunderstorm in the city and its adjacent areas in the wee hours of Thursday turned the weather pleasant but culminated in humidity. It also left many areas without electricity due to faults in transformers.

The 238mm of rain was reported at Tajpura, while 219mm was reported at airport, 174mm at Mughalpura SDO office, 159mm at Chowk Nakhuda, 158mm at Paniwala Talab, 143mm at Lakshmi Chowk, 128mm at Gulshan-i-Ravi, 124mm at Johar Town, 119mm at Farrukhabad, 116mm each at Upper Mall and Nishtar Town, 88mm at Samanabad, 76mm at Gulberg, 74.2mm Jail Road, and 63.1mm at Iqbal Town.

The rainwater entered the houses located in the low-lying areas of the city. Roads were submerged by rainwater disrupting the flow of traffic.

More than 60 Lesco feeders tripped owing to heavy rain and strong wind in the city, resulting in power outages in various areas. Almost half of the city was without electricity.

Water and Sanitation Authority (Wasa) Managing Director Zafran Ahmad said the disposal stations were working and generators were also arranged. He said all emergency camps were working and the disposal station was clearing the water in low-lying areas.

Meanwhile, the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) staff remained active in the city during the rain and special cleaning measures were taken by the company. Workers were deployed at the 95 choking points of the city.

LWMC Deputy CEO Fahad Mehmood, along with Deputy General Manager Bilal Ashraf, paid a visit to multiple choking points i.e. Ravi Road, Circular Road, Lakshmi Chowk and Bhati Chowk and reviewed the sanitation arrangements.

LWMC CEO Rafia Haider said steps were being taken to ensure the drainage of rainwater at the choking points of the city.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Kashmir, Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and northeastern Balochistan during the next 24 hours.

The Met Office has also issued a warning that heavy rains may generate urban flooding in Lahore, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala from 20th to 23rd July.

Rainfall may trigger landslides in Kashmir, Galiyat, Murree, Chillas, Diamir, Gilgit, Hunza, Astore and Skardu during the forecast period.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2022