Heavy rain floods Islamabad and Rawalpindi, prompting school closures
Heavy rain lashed Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Tuesday morning, inundating low-lying areas and raising water levels in Leh Nullah, according to Dawn. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the water level in Leh Nullah had risen to 29 feet at Kattarian and 23.5 feet at Gawalmandi, Dawn reported.
The Rawalpindi district administration announced a public holiday for educational institutions, Dawn reported. In a post on X, the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel, according to Dawn. The Islamabad deputy commissioner, Irfan Nawaz Memon, said on X that around 150mm of rainfall in the federal capital, particularly E-11, had caused drains to overflow, leading to water accumulation on roads, Dawn reported. Memon added that rainwater had entered some basements that had already been sealed by the district administration, and that dewatering was ongoing, with rescue work underway after a wall collapse in D12 and no loss of life reported, Dawn reported.
PMD data till 8:20am showed that Saidpur received 104mm of rainfall, Golra 157mm, Bokra 72mm, the PMD site near H-8/2 155mm, Kutchery 74mm, Shamsabad 201mm, Pir Widhai 86mm and New Kattarian 186mm, Dawn reported. Wasa said the water level at Katarian reached about 29 feet, while the level at the Gawalmandi bridge rose to 24 feet, according to BOL News. BOL News also reported that Shamsabad recorded the highest rainfall in Rawalpindi at 197 millimeters, followed by New Katarian with about 185 millimeters and Golra with 157 millimeters.
BOL News reported that heavy rain began around 3:20 m. and continued through the morning, with several areas recording heavy rainfall. Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Capt. (retd) Nadeem Nasir directed relevant departments to respond to the flooding, while Rescue 1122 teams were deployed around Nullah Lai, and the Water and Sanitation Agency declared a rain emergency in the waterway's catchment areas, according to BOL News. Several low-lying neighborhoods, including Safdarabad, Pirwadhai, Fauji Colony, Sadiqabad, Dhoke Khaba, Javed Colony and Arya Mohalla, were inundated, BOL News reported. Water also entered homes and shops in some areas, and vehicles were partially submerged in Awan Colony, according to BOL News.
Dawn reported that rain had also lashed the twin cities on Monday afternoon, disrupting normal life and inundating low-lying areas, with the downpour continuing for two hours with small intervals. Last week, the Met Office had predicted more rain in the country's upper parts until September 5 and warned that heavy rains may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Mardan, Swabi, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Lahore during the forecast period, Dawn reported. The National Disaster Management Authority forecast additional rain accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms over the next 48 hours, according to BOL News.
Islamabad traffic police issued a traffic advisory urging motorists to allow extra travel time, reduce speed and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles as water accumulation could affect traffic, Dawn reported. Motorists were advised to use fog lights during poor visibility and remain in their designated lanes, and the traffic police said water accumulation on some roads could affect the normal flow of traffic, according to Dawn.