• Leh rises to ‘danger level’ as rainfall breaks seven-year record; neighbourhoods inundated
• Rescue authorities save hundreds as swollen nullahs engulf villages
• Murree Road temporarily closed after landslide, tourists urged to be cautious

RAWALPINDI: Almost a day-long monsoon spell in the Rawalpindi division brought life to a standstill on Thursday, as respective rescue authorities remained on their toes to deal with the impact of the downpour that swelled streams to a dangerous level, destroyed property, and inundated low-lying parts across the division.

In Rawalpindi, where Leh, Soan, and other streams overflowed their banks, rescue authorities rescued more than 58 people trapped in different areas of the city, while in Jhelum tehsil, more than 400 people were rescued in multiple operations that also included the use of helicopters.

A spokesman for Rescue 1122 said that as many as 400 rescue personnel with 17 boats remained engaged in the emergency operation in Rawalpindi, and the emergency level was raised to ‘Red’ due to the incessant downpour. He said that 58 people were rescued from various localities of the city that were reportedly under three to four feet of water.

Leh Nullah rose to 22 feet at Gowalmandi and Kattarian bridges, forcing the local administration to blare sirens in a warning to the people around the nullah to move to safer places. Wasa Managing Director Saleem Ashraf said the siren sounded in the localities adjacent to Leh and people were evacuated. However, after the rain stopped, the water level started to reduce in the afternoon, averting a major tragedy that could have befallen the garrison city.

According to a Met official, the spell that lashed the city broke the seven-year record as more than 254mm of rainfall was recorded on Thursday.

“It was the highest rainfall in the last seven years; in August 2018, 244 millimetres of rain occurred in Rawalpindi,” he said, adding that the highest-ever precipitation in the city was recorded in 2001 when 591mm of rain was dumped in a matter of a few hours. “It was the highest amount of rain in Rawalpindi,” the met official said.

On Thursday, the meteorological department recorded 197 millimetres of rain at Golra, 173mm at Zero Point, 238mm at the airport, and 155mm at Saidpur in Islamabad. 248mm was recorded at Gawalmandi, 174 mm at Shamsabad, 215 mm at Chaklala, 254mm at Kutchery, 209mm at Pirwadhai and 234mm at Kattarian in Rawalpindi. More rain is expected till Friday afternoon.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema told Dawn that the army was put on alert; however, district administration, Wasa, Rescue 1122, the Civil Defence Department as well as the local police were called in to deal with any emergency. “The army was not called in, but put on alert to deal with any emergency,” he added.

The official said that the Pakistan Army helped the district administration to save people trapped in the flooded Soan River on Chakri Road and two more areas of the district.

Deaths

At least four deaths were reported in Rawalpindi district and one policeman was reported missing in Jhelum after being swept away in flood.

A teenage girl slipped into a nullah near Sabzi Mandi and her body was fished out from the water in Sector I-10/4, sources in the police said. According to emergency services, a young boy drowned in a nullah in Hazara colony, Pirwadhai. His body was also recovered. An eight-year-old boy drowned in a nullah near Hathi Chowk, Saddar, while a middle-aged person slipped into a nullah in Dhamial area; both bodies hadn’t been recovered by the time this report went to press. Another death was reported in Rawat, where a man passed away due to a roof collapse.

Likewise, a brick kiln worker was killed, while two others were injured after the roof of their room collapsed. According to police, several workers were sitting in their room when the roof collapsed, burying them under the rubble. All of them were rescued, except one.

In Jhelum, the authorities rescued hundreds of people and head of cattle stranded in flooded areas, as over a dozen villages were affected due to the downpour in Jhelum and Pind Dadan Khan. The villagers had to take refuge on their roofs and elevated points to escape the water.

Meanwhile, a policeman was swept away while five were rescued after they got stranded in a flood, said Tariq Aziz Sindhu, the district police officer. Due to the heroic efforts of the administration and the rescue officials, not a single civilian casualty was reported in Jhelum, the DPO added.

Murree landslide

Furthermore, Murree Road was closed due to a landslide at Salgran, with the authorities asking the public to take precautions. The City Traffic Police Murree also issued an advisory, urging people to use the expressway. Murree Deputy Commissioner Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi, along with DPO Asif Amin Awan, visited the affected road in Salgran. The DC, however, was injured when a large mountain stone fell near Salgran.

Hamid Asghar in Gujar Khan also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2025