LAHORE, July 1: The Water and Sanitation Agency on Friday failed to drain out the rainwater after two spells of torrential rain inundated several roads and commercial and residential areas of the city.

Two heavy spells, first starting around 2:30am and second between 7 and 8am, inundated various parts of the city including Aik Moria Pull, Do Moria Pull, Chowk Nakhuda, Tajpura, Bhaati, Shadbagh, Badami Bagh, Lower Maal, Multan Road, Lawrence Road, Lakshmi Chowk, Wahdat Road, Ichhra, Chowk Yatim Khana, Sabzazaar Colony, Maraghzaar Housing Society, Peco Road, Allama Iqbal Town and Gulberg main boulevards.

Despite tall claims by Wasa and the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) for making an effective rain-combat plan, the officials failed to flush out the water on various roads and low-lying areas.

“It seems Wasa officials prefer to sit in comfort of air-conditioned rooms and raise slogans of doing massive service to people,” Muhammad Ali, a motorcyclist, said as he talked to this reporter at Naqsha Stop (Wahdat Road). He said the chief minister should take action against the officials besides ordering restructuring of Wasa and other departments responsible for handling such situations.

Muhammad Akhtar, who this reporter talked to on Lawrence Road, said raising level of the roads besides regular cleaning of drains could prevent accumulation of rainwater. He said the government should have completed all construction and maintenance work before the onset of monsoon.

“The under-construction roads are having rainwater only because of the government's mismanagement,” he said.

Friday's rain also damaged some houses and left several people injured in various city areas.

Wasa Ravi Town Director (Operations and Maintenance) Iftikharuddin Naeem claimed that the officials had succeeded in draining out water in various parts of the city.

“We ran water disposal pumps the whole day to flush out water despite loadshedding. However, the process takes time as it involves sucking water through equipment and then dispose it of in the Ravi,” he added.