Heavy rain lashed Rawalpindi and Islamabad early on Tuesday morning, flooding low-lying areas and pushing water levels in Lai Nullah above the danger mark. The Rawalpindi district administration also announced a holiday for educational institutions.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that water in Leh Nullah reached 29 feet at Kattarian and 23.5 feet at Gawalmandi.
Around 200mm of rain was recorded in the catchment areas of Leh Nullah, prompting authorities to begin evacuations in Kattarian and Gawalmandi.
PMD data recorded 104mm of rain in Saidpur, 157mm in Golra, 72mm in Bokra, 155mm at the PMD site near H-8/2, 74mm at Kutchery, 201mm at Shamsabad, 86mm at Pir Wadhai and 186mm at New Kattarian.
Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Captain (retd) Nadeem Nasir said that the city received 200mm of rain, the highest rainfall recorded in the past three years.
He added that Leh Nullah was among the worst-affected areas as drains flowing into it were backflowing and causing water to spill into nearby areas.
Nasir added that authorities expected the situation to start improving within an hour. He explained that water would begin receding from low-lying areas once the level in Leh Nullah dropped.
Evacuation teams were sent to low-lying areas, while the Pakistan Army, Rescue 1122, Pakistan Rangers and other departments were assisting the district administration.
The deputy commissioner said that the water level at Kattarian had reached its highest point and was affecting areas around Gawalmandi. He added that the Triple One Brigade was also in contact with the district administration.
“All institutions are assisting the district administration,” he said.
Nasir said that authorities had received two emergency calls and were prepared to deal with any emergency situation. He added that a drainage operation was underway in low-lying areas.
Meanwhile, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said that around 150mm of rain in the federal capital, particularly in E-11, had caused drains to overflow and water to accumulate on roads.
He said rainwater had also entered some basements that had already been sealed by the district administration.
Memon added that dewatering work was underway, while rescue teams were also responding to a wall collapse in D-12. No loss of life was reported.
Islamabad Traffic Police issued an advisory asking motorists to allow extra travel time, reduce speed and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles as water accumulation could disrupt traffic.
Motorists were also advised to use fog lights in poor visibility and remain in their designated lanes. The traffic police asked citizens to plan their journeys according to the road conditions.
The twin cities also received heavy rain on Monday afternoon, which disrupted traffic and flooded low-lying areas. The rain continued for around two hours with short intervals.
The Met Office had forecast more rain in the upper parts of the country until September 5 and warned that heavy rainfall could cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Mardan, Swabi, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Lahore.
