LAHORE: The provincial capital on Tuesday received the first heavy spell of the monsoon ahead of Eid-ul-Azha which not only inundated low-lying areas but also disrupted the buying and selling of sacrificial animals in the cattle markets.
The thunderstorm followed by heavy rain began early Tuesday morning and continued till midday. As per the Meteorological Department, the city received on average 26.4 mm of rains while at Lahore airport it was recorded 16 mm. In the city Farrukhabad received the most rain where 99 mm was recorded, followed by Nisther Town and Pani Wala Talab 97 mm, Johar Town 86.3 mm and Laxami Chowk 86 mm. The maximum temperature dropped to 28 Celsius degrees and the minimum temperature. More clouds and thunderstorm have been forecast for the Eid day.
The sellers of sacrificial animals were hoping to cash on the last before Eid by selling their stock at high prices. They were expecting a huge rush in the morning, but their hopes were washed away with the heavy rains.
Only after the weather settled down that the people came out to buy animals. With more rain forecast for the rest of the day and on the Eid day, the sellers with a fear of going home with their animals reduced their demand prices. On average, the sellers were demanding Rs 20,000 less for large animals and around Rs 10,000 for small animals.
It was also noticed that many sellers came out of the designated sacrificial markets to sell their stock on the road sides and housing schemes.
Meanwhile, the heavy rains inundated different localities, including Johar Town, Pani Wala Talab, Laxami Chowk, McLeod Road, Chaurburji, Islampura, Sandha, Krishannagar Bazar, Icchara, Monzang, Badami Bagh, Abid Market, Nisbat Road, Railway Station, Missri Shah, Waseempura, Mughalpura and Do Muriah Pul. However, the water receded in the afternoon.
A spokesman of the District Administration said they had alerted all departments about heavy rains in advance and had directed all the line departments to ensure immediate pumping out of water, gathered on different areas due to the rain.
“In today’s rain, WASA staff functionalized dewatering pumps at the start of rain and directed the relevant officials to remain in the field for supervision of water drainage,” the admin said.
Deputy Commissioner Lahore Mussadir Riaz Malik himself remained in the field and visited various parts of the city and supervised dewatering process. He instructed the field staff to visit the low-lying areas and ensure that the rainwater is drained out at the earliest.
He also appealed the citizen not to come out of their homes unnecessarily and warned them not to sit under weak and bad conditioned roofs and walls.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar directed the administration and WASA across the province to remain vigilant and the disposal of rainwater from low-lying areas be ensured at the earliest.
In a statement issued here, the CM directed WASA officials, as well as the field administration, to remain available in the field for timely water disposal. Similarly, rainwater should be timely removed from roads while ensuring smooth flow of traffic, he added.
The CM also directed Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Rescue 1122 to be fully alert round-the-clock for prompt relief and rescue operations in case of any untoward incident. He also said that the rain-related situation should be fully monitored and added that no leniency would be tolerated. Similarly, the best treatment facilities should be provided to the injured, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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