At least seven die as incessant rain batters Pakistan’s Lahore, breaks 30-year record
Pakistan rains
At least seven people died as incessant rains battered Pakistan’s Lahore city on Wednesday, breaking a 30-year record.
The city received 291mm of rain, and over a dozen areas recorded more than 200mm of rain, Commissioner Lahore Mohammad Ali Randhawa said, Geo News reported.
Randhawa said that this is the first time that a large amount of rainfall is being witnessed in such a short amount of time, something that has not been seen for the past 30 years.He attributed the sudden downpours to climate change and strong monsoons.
Last year, 238mm of rainfall was recorded while 288mm was received in 2018, he said.
"Three people were electrocuted, two died after roofs collapsed, and a child drowned after rainwater accumulated," Punjab interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi told journalists in Lahore.
In an update on his official Twitter handle, the interim CM said the death toll had risento seven.
Lahore to witness another bout of rain
He said that the record-breaking rain has caused flooding in urban areas and the canals are also overflowing.
“We have dispatched teams across the city to clear main roads and drain water from submerged areas.”
“All the cabinet members and administration are in the field to clear the water. I am also monitoring the situation in the field and getting updates from all over Lahore continuously,” the chief minister said as he visited the city to oversee relief operations.
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The interim CM said that the city will likely witness another spell of rain at 9 pm and added that the authorities were taking appropriate measures to tackle any weather-related incidents.
The Met Office also predicted that intermittent showers would continue to batter Lahore for the next 24 hours.
The heavy downpour is in line with the predictions of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) last week which warned that moist currents from the Arabian Sea would penetrate the upper parts of the country, and a westerly wave was also likely to enter the upper parts of the country on Monday, causing heavy rainfall from July 4 to 7 across the country.
Flood warning
The Met officials have issued a warningof high-level flooding in the Chenab River due to heavy downpours.
It also said that the upper catchments of Rivers Sutlejand Ravi could also swell due to widespread heavy to very heavy rainfall.
It further said that the flood situation in rivers Ravi and Sutlej would depend upon releases from India and high to very high-level flooding is also expected in the canals of Rivers Ravi and Chenab.
(With inputs from agencies)
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