- Heavy rain since Wednesday night breaks 10-year record as 15 people are reportedly killed in various incidents
- City roads submerged in rainwater as citizens lament absence of proper drainage system
Breaking a 10-year record, heavy rainfall continued to lash the provincial capital with intervals since Wednesday night killing at least 15 people and injuring several others as several citizens remained confined to their homes and attendance in offices was minimal.
Rescue sources told Pakistan Today that six of a family died when the roof of their residence caved in the Mozang locality.
Two women were among the dead when the roof of the dilapidated house collapsed in Chah Miran area in Misri Shah Police precincts.
In GOR-II area, two people died when a rooftop caved in due to the heavy downpour. Moreover, in Johar Town, one man died and four others were injured in a similar incident. Also, a labourer was injured when a two-storey under-construction building collapsed in Johar Town. Two siblings died in Manawan and one woman in Samanabad due to electrocution.
In Defence, three people were killed in rain-related incidents.
Rainwater inundated several roads in the city, resulting in traffic flow being severely affected, while some areas also experienced power outages after transformers fell due to strong winds.
Vehicles from Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) were seen on the roads but were unable to clear the water due to lack of proper equipment, including suction pipes. The vehicles reportedly were also out of fuel, and the workers were seen using wipers and sticks.
Talking to Pakistan Today, several people criticised the Punjab government for not being able to come up with a concrete plan to counter the monsoon rains, which have traditionally wreaked havoc in Lahore and the adjoining areas, bringing the city to a standstill.
Muhammad Arshad, an employee of a local bank, told Pakistan Today at Qartaba Chowk that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s entire focus is on building roads and flyovers in the city but he has paid no attention to the drainage system along the roads to prevent a flood-like situation in the provincial capital.
“What’s the use of building new roads and bridges when rainwater washes away the material. It’s a pity that the government is yet to come up with a proper mechanism to drain rainwater,” he said.
Another citizen, Abdullah Malik, whose car was stuck in rainwater in Ichhra, said most of the city roads he had frequented earlier in the day were submerged in knee-deep water.
“Shahbaz Sharif claims that he has turned Lahore into Paris with his development work but in monsoons the city turns into Venice,” he said sarcastically.
Rabia Malik, a mother of three, said that her children could not go to school because rainwater had inundated their house in the city’s Samanabad locality.
“We have made repeated calls to our local WASA office but they say they are helpless as they only have two vehicles equipped with the water suction pipes. Moreover electricity has been playing hide and seek all day long adding to our woes,” she said.
Meanwhile, late on Thursday night Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited various areas of the city and reviewed the situation of drainage of rainwater.
Provincial Minister for Food Bilal Yasin, the Lahore commissioner and district coordination officer accompanied the chief minister.
The chief minister reviewed the rainwater situation at GPO Chowk, Haji Camp on Nicolson Road, Aik Moria Pul and Lakshmi Chowk.
The chief minister also visited the house of the family whose six members were killed in a roof collapse incident in Chah Miran. Sharif announced financial assistance of Rs 10 million for the affected family and government jobs for two brothers.