LAHORE: At least 12 people were killed in different incidents on Wednesday as torrential rain pounded Sialkot, Jhelum and Kasur regions that led to flooding in stormwater channels of the Chenab and Ravi rivers.

It also rained in several other cities in north-eastern Punjab, including Lahore, and upper parts of the country.

The Met department said the current spell of rain would last for only a couple of days but another monsoon system would begin producing rain in the country on July 15.

It said a monsoonal low pressure spotted over Uttar Pradesh, India, would produce rain in the south-eastern parts of Pakistan from July 15.

According to our correspondents in Gujranwala, Sialkot and Kasur, the people killed in rain-related incidents included women and children. At least four people were injured in the incidents.

Three members of a family — a woman and her two children — died in Gujranwala when the roof of their house caved in during heavy rain. An identical incident claimed the lives of three other people in the city.

Four shepherds were killed and a fifth one was injured seriously when roof of an old godown-cum-haveli caved in during heavy rain in the Dharam Kot village, Daska. They had taken shelter in the godown.

Two minor brothers died and two others suffered injuries in the Koray Sial village, Kasur, as the roof of their room caved in.

Reports pouring in from different areas also spoke of widespread urban flooding in Sialkot, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Jhelum and other cities located on the monsoon path, as heavy rain continued to lash them on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Met department said that Gujrat and Gujranwala were the worst hit cities, the former recording 165mm of rainfall and the latter 177mm.

Lahore’s eastern, northern and central areas continued to receive rain throughout the day. The city remained heavily overcast most of the time.

Sialkot received 94mm of rain around its airport, Jhelum 88, Rawalpindi (Shamsabad 78, Chaklala 53), Islamabad (Saidpur 61, Bokra 54, Z.P. 48), Mangla 53, Mianwali 47, Faisalabad, Murree 46, Kamra 22, Mandi Bahauddin 13, Lahore (city 10, airport 8), Jhang 4, Dir 29, Kakul 27, Lower Dir 22, Malamjabba 21, Risalpur 19, Saidu Sharif 14, Balakot 6, Pattan 5, Parachinar 3, Kohat 2, Muzaffarabad 32, Rawalakot 17, Kotli 16, Garhi Dupatta 15, Barkhan 7, Zhob 6, and Karachi 2mm.

The Met department said that rain-causing monsoonal currents, penetrating upper or central parts of the country, were likely to affect the region for the next two days.

As a consequence, rain-thunderstorm with isolated heavy to very heavy rain is expected at a number of places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, upper Punjab (Rawal­pindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore, and Faisalabad divisions), the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Kashmir in the next 24 hours.

Rain-thunderstorm with heavy rainfall is expected at scattered places in southern Punjab (D.G. Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur, and Sahiwal divisions), Zhob, Kalat, Nasirabad divisions and Gilgit-Baltistan. Light rain is also expected at a few places along the Sindh coast.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2017