Seven die as record-breaking rain flattens home, inundates most parts of Lahore
Pakistan
Downpour lashes other parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where three deaths are reported
LAHORE (Dunya News) – A 30-year-old record was broken on Wednesday as Lahore's Lakshmi Chowk locality witnessed 291mm of rain in just 10 hours, which resulted in seven deaths.
The downpour inundated many areas and paralysed routine life. Over 200mm of rain had been recorded at more than 12 locations around the city which had seen 256mm of rain last month on June 26, again showing that the climate change is badly affecting the region.
Read more: Inflation and interest rates: El Nino will brew up potent new economic storm
Previously, the provincial capital had seen 288mm of rain during a single day in 2018 which has been topped by Wednesday’s record-breaking event.
As far as the loss of human lives in the city is concerned, caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said three of them were electrocuted, two died in a roof collapse while a girl had drowned. Another person was also reported dead.
Urban Flooding and record breaking rain of 272ml in just 9 hours causing water ponding on roads in Lahore. Canal has also overflown.
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) July 5, 2023
All Cabinet members & Administration are in field to clear the water.
I am also monitoring the situation in field and getting updates from…
Read more: Chicago flooding is stark reminder of vulnerability of major cities during extreme weather
Downpour in several areas inundated roads and streets as commuters and motorists faced immense difficulties while trying to carry on with their routine work. The rainwater entered the homes in the low-lying areas.
But Wasa Managing Director Ghufran Ahmed claimed that the rainwater would be pumped out from all areas as soon as the rain stopped.
Rain caused disruption of electricity in parts of Lahore as more than 100 feeders of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) tripped, suspending power supply to various localities.
Read more: Climate nears point of no return as land, sea temperatures break records, experts say
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa casualties
On the other hand, three people lost their lives in rain-related incidents in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), two of them died in Shangla and one in Karak. Moreover, eight persons were injured, while one house was completely destroyed with seven others partially damaged.
According to the Met office, the rainfall (in mm) recorded in various cities during the past 24 hours till 8am (Wednesday) is given:
Punjab: Lahore (Nishtar Town 180, Lakshmi Chowk 178, Qurtaba Chowk 177, Tajpura 162, Paniwala Talab 159, Johar Town 155, Iqbal Town 138, Gulshan Ravi 136, Farrukhabad 135, Upper Mall 132, Mughalpura 126, Wasa Head Office and Chowk Nakhuda 122, Samanabad 121, Jail Road 100, city 94 and airport 86).
Gujranwala 78, Sialkot (City 72, Airport 71), Jhelum 59, Narowal 48, Mangla 42, Chakwal 40, Norporthal 38, Mandi Bahauddin 38, Gujrat 33, Kot Addu 26, Murree 16, Kasur 11, Faisalabad 10, Hafizabad 09, Bhakkar 05, Rawalpindi (Shamsabad 07, Chaklala 01), Joharabad 03.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Kakul 33, Malam Jabba 28, DI Khan (City 25, A/P 05) Balakot 20, Dir (Lower Dir 19, Upper Dir 04), Bannu 18, Saidu Sharif 13, Parachinar 05, Pattan 04.
Azad Kashmir: Muzaffarabad (City 17 Airport 14) and Rawalakot 08.
Gilgit-Baltistan: Hunza 03, Astore and Gilgit 01.
Earlier, official data recorded from 03:55am to 06:25am in Lahore showed that the highest rain of 118mm was recorded at Nishtar Town.
The figures for some other localities were: Jail Road 56.5mm, at Airport 52mm, Wasa head office, Gulberg 63mm, Gulshan-e-Ravi 79mm, Iqbal Town 69mm, Tajpura 79mm, Johar Town 82mm, Mughalpura 88mm, Chowk Nakhuda 54mm, Samanabad 54mm and Upper Mall 88mm.
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Meanwhile, the Met Office predicted more rain/ thundershower in Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Pothohar region, upper/central Punjab and northeast Balochistan in the next 24 hours (Thursday).
During this period, isolated heavy falls are also expected in central Punjab, Islamabad, Pothohar region, Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Very hot and humid weather is expected in other parts of the country.
