Rain bane for slums, boon for picnickers

LAHORE : Majority of the low-lying localities of the provincial metropolis submerged in 77mm rain, which hit the city in different spans here on Wednesday while Met office predicted more rains during the next 24 hours.

The rain started early morning and continued in spans during the day turning several major city roads into canals and low-lying localities into lakes where people were seen having severe difficulties in performing their routine works.

The rain, however, proved to be a blessing for those who planned picnic or visiting friends and family on the third day of Eidul Fitr. The first two days of Eid were hot and humid and citizens preferred to stay indoors during the day.

One can witness stagnant rainwater on Ferozpur Road, Johar Town, Muslim Town, Garden Town, Chungi Amar Sadhu, Samanabad, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Mughalpura, Ichhra, Alhamd Colony, Sabzazar, Shamnagar, Sandha, Data Darbar, Mohni Road, Township, Walled City, Railway Station, Gawalmandi, Garhi Shahu, DHA, Gulberg and many other city areas.

Met officials predicted widespread rains with isolated heavy falls in Islamabad, Upper Punjab, Lower Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Eastern Balochistan and Kashmir today (Thursday). They had informed that monsoon already made onset in Pakistan on Monday and the monsoon incursion was likely to increase from Wednesday. They added that a westerly wave in the meantime has gripped upper parts of the country.

They maintained that according to foreseen meteorological conditions rain/thundershowers with isolated heavy falls expected at a number of places in Islamabad, Upper Punjab (Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad divisions), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Lower Sindh (Hyderabad, Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad divisions) & Kashmir during next 24 hours.

They added that rain/thundershower with isolated heavy falls is expected at scattered places of Southern Punjab (Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, DG Khan divisions), upper Sindh (Larkana and Sukkur divisions), Eastern Balochistan (Zhob, Sibbi, Naseerabad and Kalat divisions) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) during the period while heavy falls may generate flash floods in the vulnerable areas particularly in Barsati Nullahs of KP, Pothohar region, Gujranwala, DG Khan Divisions and Kashmir during the period. Met officials also warned about the risk of landslides in hilly areas of upper KP (Malakand, Hazara divisions), GB and Kashmir.

On Wednesday, rain/dust-thundershowers with gusty winds occurred at a number of places in Punjab, while at isolated places in Malakand, DI Khan, Sibbi, Quetta, Kalat, Larkana, Sukkur, Hyderabad divisions, Islamabad, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Rainfall was recorded in various cities, including Jhang 109mm, Noorpur Thal 63mm, Mangla 52mm, Sahiwal 49mm, Sargodha (City 33mm, PAF 21mm), Shorkot 30mm, Toba Tek Singh 29mm, Gujrat 16mm, Rahimyar Khan, Jhelum, Chakwal 15mm, Joharabad 13mm, Okara 10mm, Layyah, Multan 06mm, Khanpur 05mm, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi 04mm, Islamabad 02mm, DG Khan, Gujranwala 01mm, Sibbi 56mm, Barkhan 38mm, Khuzdar 08mm and Mohenjo Daro 36mm.