The heavy rain on Monday exposed the sewerage system of the city, as rainwater entered houses and shops while roads remained blocked for hours.

Traders and residents in low-lying localities had to suffer heavy losses due to choked gutters. The residents of Arya Mohallah, Dhoke Illahi Bakhsh, Rahimabad, Rehmatabad, Jamia Masjid Road, Dhoke Khabba, Ahmedabad, Jan Colony, Tench Bhata, Imambarah Mohallah, Chaklala Village, Dhoke Ratta, Ganjmandi, Pirwadhai, Tehmasabad, Dhoke Mangtal, Dhamial Camp, Dhoke Juma, Chakri, Dhoke Banaras, Morgah, Sadiqabad, Muslim Town and other localities faced hardships due to rain.

Airport Road, Morgah Road, Adiala Road, Chakri Road, College Road, Gharibabad Road remained blocked due to choked rainwater drains. Both motorists and pedestrians faced hardships. Dozens of vehicles remained stuck at Faizabad under the bridge. Airport Road and Dry Port Road were completely blocked, as traffic could not move there for many hours. Two to three feet of water was flowing on Murree Road. In Dhoke Syedan, Muhammad Nawaz sustained serious injuries when the wall of his house collapsed due to rainwater pressure. He was shifted to a nearby hospital, as both of his legs have been broken.

In another rain-related incident, two cows were drowned in Kurri Village near Korang Nullah. The roof of a makeshift collapsed in Tehmasabad resulting in injuries to Bushra Ramzan, aged 67. She was shifted to the Mehria Hospital in critical condition.

People living in low-lying localities remained busy in draining out rainwater from their shops and houses. Rainwater entered shops and expensive items were destroyed. More than 50 shops in Moti Bazaar were badly affected due to rainwater. Nullah Leh, Korang Nullah and Soan River were in high flood as water level rose to 12 feet due to rain.

Kamran Abbasi, a resident of Jan Colony, told ‘The News’ “They face hardships whenever it rains heavily there is no protective wall along a nullah close to their houses.” “The city administration should construct a protective wall along every nullah to control water flow into houses and shops,” he said.

Raja Hafeez Ahmed of Kurri Village said that the Punjab government had promised to construct a protective wall along Korang Nullah but it did not fulfil its words. Hundreds of people living along Korang Nullah remain in fear in the monsoon, he said.

District Nazim Raja Javed Ikhlas told ‘The News’ that the city administration would continue dredging nullahs for smooth flow of water particularly in rainy season. People should cooperate with the management to clean the city, streets and neighbourhoods. They should remove garbage, including shopping bags, which block water creating difficulties for them in the monsoon. The city administration would build protective walls along nullahs in the city after release of funds by the Punjab government, he said.