Lahore sinks as govt readiness claims wash away

LAHORE:The city of Lahore faced severe flooding after a downpour on Monday morning, exposing the inadequacies of the authorities’ claims of being prepared for urban flooding. The heavy rain led to power outages and the suspension of the water supply, causing significant hardship for Lahorites.

Despite visits from Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, chief secretary, and other high-ranking officials to various areas, many roads remained underwater throughout the day. This came after the chief minister had been briefed by Wasa and the Punjab Disaster Management Authority on their supposed preparations for monsoon rains.

For some time, the PDMA has been warning about heavy rainfall and urban flooding. The chief minister had recently issued directives to clean all drains, sewers, and canals to facilitate the quick drainage of rainwater from the roads. However, Monday’s downpour seemed to catch Wasa and other authorities off guard, highlighting the shortcomings in their arrangements.

The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) struggled to cope with the early morning rain, which knocked out more than 100 feeders. As a result, many areas experienced prolonged power outages, with some residents reporting that their electricity was not fully restored until the afternoon.

Lesco officials claimed that field staff were working to restore power as quickly as possible.According to the Water and Sanitation Agency, the rainfall data recorded 110 mm at Chauburji, Shah Jamal, Lytton Road, and Qurtaba Chowk, and 103 mm on Empress Road/Haji Camp, Cooper Road, GPO, Kashmir Road, Lakshami Chowk, and Nabha Road. Firdous Market saw 76 mm of rain, while Sheranwala Gate, Bhati Gate, Do Moriya Pul, and Aik Moriya Pul recorded 72 mm. The other areas received lesser amounts of rainfall.

Meteorologists indicated that moist currents from the Arabian Sea were affecting the upper parts of the country and were likely to strengthen, with a shallow westerly wave approaching. They predicted rain and windstorms/thundershowers in isolated places in Kashmir, Punjab, the Potohar region, Islamabad, and upper/lower Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while other parts of the country would experience hot and humid weather.

The highest temperature recorded on Monday was 47°C in Bhakkar, Nokkundi, Dalbandin, and Sibbi, while Lahore recorded a high of 36.5°C and a low of 21.0°C.According to an official statement issued Monday night, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz made a surprise visit to various city areas immediately after returning from Islamabad.

She directed the commissioner, deputy commissioner, assistant commissioners, and other administrative officers to remain in the field until all the water was drained. She also instructed the use of Safe City cameras and drones to monitor the drainage efforts, similar to the cleaning campaign during Eidul-Azha.

The chief minister sought a monitoring report every half hour and personally inspected areas, including Shadman, Ferozepur Road, Davis Road, and Shimla Hill. She also visited Gaddafi Stadium to ensure additional water pumps were deployed for immediate drainage.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz praised the Wasa managing director and field staff for their efforts, stopping at various points to check the progress of the drainage work. She visited the Wasa camp office at Lakshmi Chowk to get updates on the machinery and staff, with WASA MD Ghuffran Ahmed briefing her on the road clearance.

LDA DG Tahir Farooq, along with the Wasa MD, visited different areas of the city to review the post-rain activities. Wasa teams, in collaboration with the district administration and allied institutions, ensured the drainage of rainwater from all areas.

The Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) operational teams were actively engaged in clearing choking points across Lahore to ensure effective drainage. Under the direction of LWMC CEO Babar Sahib Din, over 6,000 waste containers were routinely cleared, and special instructions were given to remove obstructions from roads.

LWMC spokesperson Umar Chaudhry reported that cleaning teams were active on Circular Road, Fort Road, Azam Cloth Market, and Azadi Chowk. The clearance process continued on Noor Jahan Road, Liberty Market, Main Boulevard Gulberg, and MM Alam Road. Additional cleaning operations were conducted at Shadman Market, Aiwan-e-Tijarat, Beadon Road Bazar, Temple Road, and other locations to ensure proper drainage of rainwater. Efforts were also focused on maintaining cleanliness in The Mall, Jail Road, Alhamra, Governor’s House, and nearby areas.

Citizens were urged to support sanitation efforts by disposing of garbage properly, and they could report cleanliness-related issues by contacting the LWMC helpline at 1139 or through social media.