RAWALPINDI:
A spell of heavy rain early Wednesday morning broke the intense heat in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, bringing down temperatures and ending the humidity.
The weather turned pleasant, and water levels in underground reservoirs and major dams, including Rawal and Khanpur, have improved.
The Meteorological Department has forecast further rainfall, prompting the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) to declare a rain emergency.
Due to the downpour, the water level in Nullah Leh rose to 12 feet. Water also entered low-lying areas, including parts of Murree Road.
WASA teams, equipped with heavy machinery, were actively engaged in water drainage operations. Rainfall recorded in the twin cities exceeded 82 millimetres, with Islamabad’s Saidpur village receiving the highest82mm.
Other areas recorded: Golra 25mm, Bokra 68mm, PMD 33mm, Shamsabad 56mm, Chaklala 53mm, and Pirwadhai 53mm. Nullah Leh’s water level reached 12 feet at Katarian Bridge and 10 feet at Gawalmandi Bridge but began receding quickly after the rain stopped.
Following the rain, Member of National Assembly Tahira Aurangzeb, Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema, and WASA Managing Director Muhammad Saleem Ashraf visited Gawalmandi Bridge to assess the situation.
MD WASA noted that the water had passed through Nullah Leh rapidly due to timely cleaning efforts and said WASA remained on high alert in accordance with the weather department’s forecasts. Staff leaves were cancelled, and personnel with machinery had been deployed in low-lying areas.
WASA MD is personally supervising the drainage operations.
He further stated that, on the directives of the Punjab Chief Minister, a rain emergency has been enforced.
Flood response camps have been established, staffed with personnel and equipment to handle any crisis. Monitoring of stormwater drains across the city continued, and no overflow incidents were reported.
WASA teams were stationed across multiple affected areas including Liaquat Bagh, Committee Chowk, Nadeem Colony, Arya Mohalla, Murree Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Sadiqabad, and Old Airport.
