PHOTO: AFP/File
LAHORE: Intermittent showers were reported in different areas of the provincial capital on Sunday. Though the weather turned pleasant in the city prolonged power outages caused inconvenience to the citizens.
Dozens of electricity feeders of the power utility company, Lahore Electric Supply Company, tripped and pushed several neighbourhoods in darkness. Citizens from different areas of the provincial metropolis also complained about water shortage.
Several low-lying areas including Lakshmi Chowk, Davis Road, Garhi Shahu, China Scheme, Tajpura and Johar Town became inundated due to excessive rainwater and caused serious inconvenience to the residents.
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Speaking to The Express Tribune, a resident of China Scheme, Zeeshan Qureshi, said knee-deep rainwater is accumulated in his neighbourhood for the past several days but no government department is ready to pay attention to citizens’ complaints.
He highlighted that residents are digging trenches to divert rainwater to empty plots on their own.
“We have registered several complaints to the Water and Sanitation Agency’s (WASA) local office but are still awaiting help,” he maintained.
The Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD) forecasted more rains across the country, including Lahore and other divisions of Punjab.
The PMD forecast indicated that around 60mm rain was recorded in the city and the current monsoon spell is expected to continue till Wednesday evening.
Rain statistics show that the highest level of rain was recorded in Tajpura area, which was 54mm. Meanwhile, Jail Road 23mm, Lahore Airport 31mm, Lakshmi Chowk 39mm, Pani Wala Talab 34mm, Upper Mall 33mm, Farrukhabad 32mm, Mughalpura 26mm and Chowk Nakhuda recorded 25mm of rain.
The PMD also issued an advisory to administrations, calling for precautionary measures. It said the spell of monsoon rains will begin from Sunday and continue until Tuesday.
The weather department instructed that necessary steps be taken at hospitals across the province with cancellation of leaves of paramedics and other staff.
More rain, thunderstorm likely in Karachi
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reports show that two deaths were reported in Punjab owing to the rain-related incident in addition to injuries to dozens.
As per reports, a roof collapse in Sargodha killed two children and injured another.
Five more roof collapse incidents were reported in Sheikhupura and officials placed the number of injured at 10.
Weather reports issued by the PMD showed that widespread rain and wind-thunderstorm with isolated heavy falls occurred in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Multan, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Quetta, Zhob, divisions, Islamabad and Gilgit Baltistan, while weather remained hot and humid in other parts of the country.
The PMD said the seasonal low lies over north Balochistan.
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Monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are penetrating upper and central parts of the country and are likely to intensify over southern parts today (Monday).
Weather reports highlight that widespread rains or wind-thunderstorm is expected in Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Thatta, Karachi, Kalat divisions, while at scattered places in Sukkur, Larkana, Makran, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Zhob, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Malakand, Hazara divisions, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, at isolated places in Sahiwal, Sargodha, Peshawar, Mardan, Bannu, Kohat divisions and Islamabad.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2019.
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