Showers in parts of Punjab, Islamabad mark onset of fresh monsoon spell

Parts of Punjab and Islamabad received rain on Wednesday morning, marking the onset of a fresh monsoon spell in the country just as a previous one that caused flooding in several areas of Punjab and over 100 deaths ended. As of 11am, one injury in a rain-related incident in Punjab’s provincial capital, Lahore, was reported during the new rain spell. According to Rescue 1122, a 25-year-old man was injured in a roof collapse incident at a house in Lahore’s Baghbanpura. The emergency service’s statement said the roof was made of wooden beams and other material, and the injured was taken to Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital. Meanwhile, an update by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) at 11:30am said the highest amount of rainfall in the city by then was recorded in Tajpura at 44.8mm. It was followed by 44.4mm of rain in Mughalpura, 32.6 in Shadipura, 31.4 at Pani Wala Talab, 29mm at Chowk Nakhuda, 26.8mm in Johar Town, 26mm in Mannawan, 22.4mm at Lakshmi Chowk, 16.4mm in Farrukhabad, 7.6mm in Saggian, 6.2mm in Nishtar Town and 5.8mm at Upper Mall. Gulshan-i-Ravi also received 1mm of rain while 0.8mm of rainfall was recorded at Jail Road and 0.2mm in Iqbal Town. Separately, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that several areas of Sialkot, as well Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Narowal, Mangla and Murree also received showers between 2am and 5am. According to a report by the Met Office, 54mm of rain was recorded in the Sialkot city during this period while Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Narowal, and Murree also received showers.

In its report on the situation in Sialkot, Wasa listed several areas where rains had caused inundation, with water standing from 10-18 inches at around 6am. A day ago, PMD forecast rains across the country from July 29 to August 5. It warned that heavy rains could generate flash floods in hilly regions and inundate urban centres. The forecast came as several areas of Punjab reeled from floods caused by the rain spell that ended on Tuesday. An irrigation official told Dawn that flooded nullahs, which had to be breached during the recent floods, submerged large tracts of land along the GT Road near Lahore and Gujranwala, besides Kasur.

AFP reported that floodwaters spread across fields and villages near Muridke. “Floodwater has inundated our area since Friday, leaving the entire neighbourhood submerged,” said Muhammad Faisal, 39, a labourer. Haris Dar, a rescue volunteer, said dozens of villages remained under water and teams were continuing to evacuate stranded residents while distributing meals to affected families. A statement issued after the PM-led meeting claimed that in some areas, agricultural land had been inundated due to floods in seasonal streams, and drainage operations were under way. According to the statement, 110 people have lost their lives, 360 people have been injured, 796 houses have been damaged, and 376 heads of livestock have perished during the previous monsoon season.