RAWALPINDI: A three-day spell of torrential rainfall from July 5 may cause flash floods in local nullahs and streams of Islamabad and Rawalpindi among other areas of the country, the Meteorological Department said on Thursday.

The heavy rainfall may cause urban flooding in Rawalpindi besides other cities of Punjab while also causing landslides at vulnerable points in the hilly areas of Murree, Galiyat, and Gilgit-Baltistan, as per the statement.

On Thursday, rain lashed parts of the twin cities in the small hours as well as on Wednesday night and caused inundation in low-lying parts of the garrison city. It however brought much-needed relief from muggy weather.

The Met office recorded 44 millimetres of rain in Chaklala, 39mm in Shamsabad, 16mm in Kutchery, 19mm in Saidpur, 21mm in Bokra, 24mm in Golra, 14mm at the Islamabad International Airport and 18mm at Zero Point in Islamabad. According to the Met Department, the relevant authorities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad should make arrangements in light of the rain forecast. A similar order was issued by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Rain lashes Islamabad, Rawalpindi in early hours of Thursday, inundates low-lying areas of garrison city

Despite tall claims by sanitation agencies, the residents on Thursday complained about inundation in the low-lying areas, with some in the Cantt complaining that sanitation staff failed to clear the drains before the monsoon rain. The residents of Chaklala Scheme-I complained that drains and gutters were choked in their locality.

“The situation at Jamia Masjid Road is becoming worse. Even the first spell of rain inundated the locality which has become a common feature,” said Mehmood Malik, a resident of Banni Chowk.

Meanwhile, the water level in Leh Nullah remained normal. Wasa spokesman Umer Farooq told Dawn that the rain occurred in the city areas and the Leh Nullah rose to 7.5 feet at Gawalmandi Bridge and 6.5 feet at Kattarian Bridge.

“The rainwater did not accumulate in the low-lying areas after the rain stopped,” he claimed, adding that Wasa was fully prepared to tackle any kind of flooding in Leh. He said that heavy machinery and relevant machinery were transported to the low-lying areas to drain the water in case of emergency.

He said that the Leh Nullah was being cleaned and the work would likely be completed next week, adding that the main obstacles had been removed so the water level did not increase in the nullah on Thursday.

Speaking about Rawal Lake which supplies water to Rawalpindi, he said that the water level in the dam did not increase as the rain did not lash the catchment areas of the reservoir. He said that it was expected that the rain would increase the water level in the coming days.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2024