LAHORE: Heavy rain hit various parts of the Punjab on Saturday especially persistent heavy rain in Lahore city flooded roads and turned low-lying areas into pools of water.
Besides Lahore, impressive spells of rain also occurred in Gujranwala, Kamonki, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnagar, Kasur, Pattoki, Sheikhupura, Mandi Bahauddin, Mianwali, Muridke, Sahiwal, Sangla Hill, Safdarabad, Okara, Narowal, Pasrur and other areas.
In Lahore city, areas such as Mughalpura, Mustafaabad, Neela Gumbad, Lakshmi Chowk, Queen’s Road, Samanabad, Shadbagh, Jallo Park, Mehmood Booty, Garhi Shahu, Qila Gujjar Singh, Shahdara, Kahna, Johar Town, Gulberg, Gulshan Ravi and others inundated by rainy water.
In addition, power supply to different areas was also suspended as over 110 feeders of the Lesco tripped following the rain.
According to Rescue 1122 officials, 16-year-old Nadeem was passing through accumulated rainwater when an electric cable snapped and fell into the water near Akbari Mandi Grid Station.
Police have taken the body into custody and launched an investigation.
The downpour laid bare the metro bus administration’s claims of efficiency as water started leaking from the roofs of waiting areas built for commuters. Several metro stations, including MAO College, were flooded due to heavy rain. The rainwater also entered the emergency ward of Jinnah Hospital, causing trouble for the patients.
Gulshan Ravi locality of Lahore received the highest amount of rain totaling 177 millimeters followed by Qurtaba Chowk 156 millimetres, Lakshmi Chowk 132 millimeters, Wasa’s head office in Gulberg 115 millimeters, Pani Wala Talab 101 millimeters, Tajpura 93 millimetres, Nishtar Town 92 millimeters, Iqbal Town and Johar Town 85 millimeters each, Mughalpura 67 millimetres, Upper Mall 63 millimetres. In comparison, Lahore airport received 59 millimetres of rain.
The Weather department said that the minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 23 degrees Celsius which would touch 31 degrees Celsius later in the day. The air quality index (AQI) in the city was recorded at 56.
The Met Office, on the other hand, forecast more showers for Lahore and other parts of Punjab during the next 48 hours.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023