(Dunya News) - Heavy rainfall in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other parts of the country has inundated low-lying areas, prompting authorities to begin evacuating residents from areas along Nullah Lai as water levels rose to dangerous levels.
The rain, which began last night and continued into Wednesday morning, caused a steady rise in the water level of Nullah Lai. Flood warning sirens were sounded in the twin cities amid fears of flooding.
Water levels at Kattarian reached 22 feet, while the level at Gawalmandi rose to 19 feet, according to officials.
The Rawalpindi district administration has sought assistance from the Pakistan Army to deal with the emergency situation.
Authorities have advised residents to stay away from Nullah Lai, other streams and low-lying areas and follow precautionary measures. An emergency situation remains in effect in vulnerable areas.
The twin cities received an average of around 76 millimetres of rainfall. Golra recorded the highest rainfall in Islamabad at 114mm, followed by Saidpur with 71mm, PMD H-8 with 57mm and Bokra-I-12 with 46mm.
In Rawalpindi, New Katarian received 59mm of rain, Pirwadhai 51mm, while Shamsabad and Gawalmandi recorded 45mm each. Around 33mm was recorded near Kacheri-Chaklala.
Although the water level in Nullah Lai has started falling, the alert remains in place in Kattarian and Gawalmandi.
The Meteorological Department has forecast more rain in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and several parts of Punjab, as well as in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to the Flood Forecasting Division in Lahore, low-level flooding has been reported at the Kalabagh and Guddu barrages on the Indus River, while the situation in other rivers remains normal.