• Heavy rainfall exposes Lahore’s drainage system; city struggles with flooding, power outages
• KKH reopens for traffic but heatwave persists in GB; glacial melting, floods cause severe damage
LAHORE / GILGIT: At least 11 people lost their lives and many others sustained injuries as heavy monsoon rains lashed Lahore, its surrounding districts and some parts of Balochistan on Wednesday. The downpours caused widespread flooding and disrupted daily life in several areas.
In Lahore, the heavy rainfall submerged low-lying areas and major roads, exposing the city’s inadequate drainage infrastructure. According to data from the Water and Sanitation Agency’s (Wasa) Monsoon Control Room, Lahore received an average of 58.8mm of rain, with some areas like Nishtar Town recording the highest 84mm, followed by Lakshmi Chowk (78mm) and Paniwala Talab (74mm).
The first spell of rain lashed the city from 2:45am to 5:40am, with a second, more intense downpour hitting between 10:45am and 12:11pm.
The heavy showers exposed the weaknesses in Lahore’s drainage system, with key areas such as Jail Road (63mm), Qurtaba Chowk (68mm) and Wasa Head Office in Gulberg (69mm) experiencing severe water accumulation. The rainwater mixed with sewage, creating a public health crisis as residents struggled to navigate flooded streets. At Yakki Gate, a child was electrocuted by exposed wiring, while multiple Lesco feeders tripped across the city, leaving thousands without electricity for hours.
“We’ve been without power since the morning and the stagnant water is making it impossible to leave our homes,” said Rukhsana Bibi, a resident of Mughalpura, which received 60mm of rain.
Residents of Barki Road also faced immense difficulties in travelling. They complained that no machinery was sent to clear the water from the roads and streets until evening, with the Wasa and district administration focusing efforts on draining water only from “elite” areas.
Despite claims from the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) about deploying cleaning teams and clearing over 6,000 waste containers, citizens reported minimal improvements on the ground.
“The main roads are still submerged, and no one from the administration is here to help,” said Asif Mahmood, a shopkeeper at Lakshmi Chowk.
The situation was particularly dire in low-lying areas like Farrukhabad (49mm) and Johar Town (39mm), where drainage systems were virtually non-existent.
Monsoon rains also affected several other districts across Punjab in the last 24 hours. Khanewal recorded 51mm, Rawalpindi 42mm, Sahiwal 44mm, Murree 41mm, Okara 30mm, Mandi Bahauddin 27mm, Mangla 24mm, and Toba Tek Singh 13mm.
Other regions like Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Gujrat, Kasur, Bahawalnagar, Sargodha, Multan and Jhang also experienced downpours…Source: dawn.com/news/
