LAHORE: The city received a heavy rainfall on Monday, bringing down the mercury but it turned the weather muggy with a substantial increase in humidity, causing discomfort for the citizens.

Mozang Chungi recorded the highest rainfall at 110mm, followed by 105mm at Lakshmi Chowk.

Other areas also received significant rainfall, including Gulberg that had 76mm, Paniwala Talab 72mm, Gulshan-i-Ravi 61mm, Mughalpura 53mm, Nishtar Town 51mm, Upper Mall 49mm and Jail Road 48mm.

The downpour also led to accumulation of rainwater in low-lying areas such as Liberty Chowk, Gaddafi Stadium, Hussain Chowk, Chauburji, Lakshmi, Garden Town, Wahdat Road and MM Alam Road, causing disruptions in daily life.

Maryam reviews drainage situation, orders additional water pumps

Several parts of Lahore experienced electricity outages as dozens of feeders of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) tripped.

Meanwhile, following in the footsteps of her uncle Shehbaz Sharif, who would rush to the rain-hit localities in the monsoon season, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited different areas of the city to see the impact of heavy shower and rainwater drainage.

Accompanied by the Lahore commissioner, deputy and assistant commissioners and other administrative officers, CM Maryam visited Shadman, Ferozepur Road, Davies Road and Shimla Pahari areas.

She directed the authorities concerned to ensure timely drainage of rainwater accumulating on city roads.

“Like sanitation campaign on Eid, use Punjab Safe Cities Authority cameras and drone technology to monitor rainwater drainage work,” she directed the officials.

She also ordered them to monitor and report the situation to her.

She also inspected roads, intersections and markets, and ordered immediate drainage of rainwater accumulating in front of the Gaddafi Stadium using additional suction pumps.

The CM also met the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) staff and asked them to ensure that the rainwater should not be accumulated on roads.

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Tahir Farooq and Wasa Managing Director Ghufran Ahmed also visited various areas of the city to inspect the drainage of rainwater.

Mr Farooq visited Qurtaba Chowk, GPO Chowk, Lakshmi Chowk, Lakshmi Disposal and Gulshan-i-Ravi disposal station to review the performance of Wasa’s emergency response teams.

According to the traffic police, rainwater caused significant traffic disruptions on several roads and intersections. The traffic police continued to liaise with authorities to manage the traffic flow more effectively.

The Punjab Health Department issued an alert regarding viral diseases such as hepatitis, typhoid, diarrhea, malaria and dengue. It directed the CEOs of the districts to take preventive measures and ensure adequate medicine stocks in hospitals in case of any emergencies.

Meteorology Department Director Zaheer Ahmed Babar warned of heavy rainfall from July 4 to 7, which could cause flooding in various areas of the country. He also mentioned that the first 15 days of July would see substantial rainfall, with the monsoon gradually shifting southwards.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2024