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July 07, 2023
Heavy Monsoon Rains Return to Pakistan a Year after Deadly Floods
Islamabad: Heavy monsoon rains lashed Pakistan on Wednesday, causing deaths, flooding roads and disrupting lives in areas where residents already were struggling to recover from floods last summer that affected 33 million people and killed 1,739, officials said.
According to a report in Dawn at least 17 people lost their lives on Thursday while 49 others were injured in multiple incidents of roof and wall collapses across Punjab as rains continued to batter parts of the province for a second consecutive day.
Detailing the deaths, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a statement that four people — including three children under the age of 10 — were killed in Lahore after the roof of a house near the Bandianwala bridge in the city’s Amar Sidhu area collapsed due to heavy rainfall.
Six people died in weather-related incidents in Lahore, officials said. At least 24 people have died in weather-related incidents since the rain started last week, including three who were killed in the past day in the northwest.
The monsoon season officially started this week and will continue until September. The first spell of rainy weather was expected to last until Saturday.
Lahore, which is Pakistan’s cultural capital, received a record 272 millimeters (10.7 inches) of rain in nine hours on Wednesday, flooding streets and the city's canal. Efforts were underway to clear the water, Mohsin Naqvi, the top government official in Punjab province, said.
The last time Lahore received such a deluge was 30 years ago, officials said. Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, also had a heavy downpour this week. The National Disaster Management Authority warned local authorities to prepare for emergencies such as flooding and landslides.
Last summer’s devastating floods caused $30 billion in damage in cash-strapped Pakistan.
… Said Provincial Disaster Management Authority Director General Imran Qureshi: “We are monitoring the situation from the provincial control room and residents can call us on 1129 for any help.” Earlier in the afternoon, caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Lahore received “record” rainfall of 291 millimeters in one day, which he claimed was unexpected.
Talking to media persons on a tour of different parts of Lahore, Naqvi said, “We have dispatched teams across the city to clear main roads and drain water from submerged areas.”
Naqvi said areas such as Muslim Town, Garden Town and Gulberg were inundated due to the overflow of water from the Lahore Canal… - AP and Dawn
Courtesy AP and Dawn
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