Rain brings relief for heat-stricken people, miseries for low-lying areas

Rawalpindi : Heavy rainfall brought a sigh of relief to the heat-stricken residents of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad here on Saturday.

On the other hand, low-lying areas of Rawalpindi remained submerged during the heavy rainfall that also raised the water level in Rawal Dam and Khanpur Dam. Meanwhile, the water level in Nullah Leh, remained under control whereas the majority of city and cantonment board nullahs overflowed during the heavy downpour.

Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) also declared a ‘Pre Monsoon Emergency’ due to heavy rainfall. The concerned staff remained on duty in all low-lying areas with heavy machinery to avoid any untoward incident.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also issued a warning to the local administration, Rawalpindi to adopt precautionary measures to avoid the expected flood-like situation.

Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Noor-ul-Amin Mengal was on the field and visited different low-lying areas during heavy rainfall. He directed all concerned departments to be alert. He expressed satisfaction on the arrangements of Wasa and Civil Defence to avoid any untoward incident during the rain. The commissioner has also checked the cleaning of Nullah Leh.

The Met Office, Islamabad has predicted rainfall followed by windstorms till June 23, 2022.

The areas of Murree Road, Dhoke Ratta, Commercial Market, Adiala Road, Liaquat Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Sadiqabad, Commercial Market, Chamanzaar, Dhoke Kala Khan, Tipu Road, Nadeem Colony, Dhoke Dalal, Shah Khalid, Tench Bhatta, Jan Colony, Ahmedabad, Raheemabad and some other localities remained submerged. Water entered homes damaging household goods in some localities. Dhoke Kala Khan was the most affected area where almost 2 to 3 feet of rainwater entered the homes.

Over 100 feeders tripped in different areas of the city and cantonment board circles during heavy rainfall. Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) staff was busy repairing and restoring the electricity supply in affected localities.

The Airport Road, Rawal Road, and Sihala Road were the most affected due to chocked rainwater. The motorists faced difficulties in driving here due to inundated roads.

The underpasses in Rawalpindi also remained chocked with rainwater but Wasa staff took immediate action to clear the roads for smooth traffic flow on the occasion.