LAHORE: Lahore received hours of heavy rain on Tuesday, resulting in urban flooding across the city. The downpour, which began at about 5am disrupted daily life for residents, leading to school closures, office delays and transportation chaos.

While the rain brought a change to the weather, it simultaneously posed challenges, bringing the city to a standstill in some areas.

The Met Office data showed that the highest rainfall was recorded in the airport area, with 193mm of rainfall while Tajpura received 190mm, Nishtar Town 174mm, Gulshan-i-Ravi 162mm, Gulberg 158mm, Johar Town 135mm and Iqbal Town 126mm.

The heavy rain led to inundation of low-lying areas, impeding the movement of citizens. Neighborhoods like Gulberg, Barkat Market, Kalma Chowk, Model Town, Faisal Town, Johar Town, Garden Town, and Township experienced severe flooding. The road from Barkat Market to Kalma Chowk remained closed for traffic for hours. Additionally, major arteries of the city, including Lower Mall, Jain Mandir, Anarkali, Mall Road, Walton Road, MG Chowk, GC University turnaround, Data Sahib, Timber Market, GPO Chowk and Lytton Road, were submerged under water, leading to severe traffic congestion.

The rainwater entered homes and shops and about 100 electricity feeders of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) tripped, leaving many areas without power for hours.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and the district administration officials claimed that rainwater had been drained from most areas of the city.

Wasa MD Ghufran Ahmad said the officials were working to clear some of the low-lying areas while the commissioner was visiting different areas to monitor working of disposal stations.

Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Imran Qureshi issued directives to all deputy commissioners across the province, urging them to be vigilant.

Rescue 1122 reported three people, including two women, sustained injuries when the roof of their two-storey house collapsed near Old Airport due to the rain. Furthermore, during the past 24 hours, Lahore saw 304 traffic accidents, resulting in injuries to 317 individuals.

Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Mustansar Feroze stated that additional traffic police personnel were deployed on the roads to assist citizens during the rain.

Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi issued directives to ensure the drainage of rainwater from low-lying areas.

The Met Office has predicted more rainfall for Punjab in the next 48 hours.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2023