Stagnant rainwater troubles Lahoris
Met office has predicted more rain and thunderstorms in the coming days (File photo)
LAHORE (Web Desk) – The streets in many areas of Lahore were inundated with water as heavy rains and thunderstorms lashed the city yesterday. The rains came as a blessing for the people of Lahore as the city had been in the grip of high temperatures since last week. However, the rains also brought with them trouble as many areas of the city were submerged.
Streets in many areas of Lahore turned into pools as a result of heavy downpour. The accumulated water posed problems for the flow of traffic and even made it difficult for people to step out of their homes.
According to Lahore News, areas that are submerged in water include Gulberg, Iqbal Town, Green Town, Samanabad, Shalamar Town, Walled City and parts of Multan Road. The Water and Sanitation Agency is on the receiving end of harsh criticism from residents of these areas who consider the organisation’s negligence as a cause for their problems. Residents have complained that gutters and pipelines are not being cleaned ahead of the monsoon due to which rainwater accumulates on roads and streets.
Unfortunately, the troubles are not going to end soon as the Met Office has predicted rain and thunderstorm with strong gusty winds at a number of places in upper Punjab (Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad divisions), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, lower Sindh (Hyderabad, Karachi, MirpurKhas, Sh. Benazirabad divisions), Islamabad, FATA and Kashmir, south Punjab (Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, D.G. Khan divisions), upper Sindh (Larkana, Sukkar divisions), eastern Balochistan (Zhob, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Kalat divisions) and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Meanwhile, Lahore’s Deputy Commissioner Sumair Ahmed Syed has issued orders to assistant commissioners, town officials, Lahore Waste Management Company, and WASA officials to de-water the low-lying areas of the city.
A video posted by the media cell of Lahore’s DCO on twitter showed the deputy commissioner along with WASA workers pumping out water in an inundated street of Lahore.
#DCLahore #SumairAhmedSyed along with #Wasa workers is in field after rain to pump out rain water @GovtOfPunjab @umarsaif @ICDPunjab pic.twitter.com/LLlayBhnap
— DC Lahore (@DcoMediacell) June 28, 2017
Moreover, according to WASA, around 35 camp offices have been established to deal with the situation. WASA officials have claimed that until now, 51 out of the 74 identified areas where water has accumulated have been cleared.
The residents of Lahore are in a tough situation, as they are stuck between high temperatures and submerged streets.
