ISRAR AHMED & Syed Danish HussainRAWALPINDI – Heavy downpour claimed a human life while another young boy drowned into Nullah Monday in the city, besides surging water level in Nullah Leh and throwing normal life of gear marooning many areas.Moreover, zero gas pressure and electricity loadshedding multiplied the miseries of citizens. The whole city experienced a worst traffic jam. The prices of coals, woods, chicken and eggs were swelled.The water level in Nullah Leh started rising while Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) staff was put on high alert to cope with any emergency. However, MD WASA said that water level was 8 feet in Nullah Leh, some 16 feet below from danger level.According to Director General (DG) Met Office Dr Hanif, 75mm rain was recorded in Rawalpindi while 91mm was recorded in Islamabad. He predicted another spell of rain in several parts of Punjab, Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtonkhwa within next 24 hours.The damage was heaviest in Kohala Village on Chakri Road, area of Police Station (PS) Saddar Berooni, where a 60 year old Muhammad Rasool when his mud-made house caved in because of torrential rain. The wife of Muhammad Rasool and two of his children sustained minor injuries. The injured identified as Noor-ul-Huda, aged 52, Riaz, aged 6 and Adnan, aged 4. Doctors stated the condition of injured persons to be out of danger. On a call, Rescue 1122 rushed to the scene and started rescue operation with some locals also helping in. Later, the injured and dead body was shifted to District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital.In the second incident, a 12-year-old, whose name could not be confirmed, drowned into Nullah Leh at Street Number of Fauji Colony, informed Rescue 1122. According to them, the boy was playing on the bank of Nullah when he slipped away and fell into the Nullah. Nonetheless, Police Station (PS) Pirwadhai Malik Arshad, when contacted, did not confirm the incident saying no body approached police so far.The torrential rain in the entire district has paralysed normal life. Seasonal nullahs were flooded with several roads and streets full of rainwater. The low-lying localities worst effected by rain. The inhabitants of Katchi Abadis at Service Road at Sadiqabad, Shahpur, Adyala Village and Chungi Number 20 faced a lot of troubles. There was no gas pressure in many areas.The areas where people faced zero gas pressure while the streets and roads were inundated included Dhoke Lalyal, Airport Housing Society, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Shakeriyal, Kuri Road, Shah Khalid Colony, Dhoke Kashmirian, Morgah, Gulistan Colony, Humak, Model Town, Kotha Kalan, Dhoke Nawaz, Gulshanabad, Adyala Road, Kalyal, Dhoke Juma, Caltax Road, Pir Deval Sharif, Girja Road, Baraf Khana, Chakra, Dhamial, Hayyal, Chakri Road, Lalkurti, Katcheri, Saddar, Peshawar Road, Kashmir Road, Ponch House Road, Punj Sarki, Mall Road, Benazir Bhutto Road, Committee Chowk Underpass, Iqbal Road, Kamran Market, Dhoke Mangtal, Ratta Amral, Hazara Colony, several areas of Raja Bazaar, Asghar Mall Scheme, Commercial Market, Holy Family Hospital, Iran Road, Sixth Road, Seventh Road, Dhoke Kala Khan, Soan, Old Shakeriyal, ASF Colony, Khana Kak, Muslim Town and Double Road. Rain water also entered into the houses damaging precious households. Huge traffic jam occurred at under construction Pirwadhai flyover and service roads of 6th Road Flyover after rain water gushed out there.Business activities remained slow in all the shopping malls and markets of the city because of low turn out of shoppers, who preferred to stay indoor in heavy rain. The shopkeepers charged illegal profit on coals, wooden fuel, chicken and eggs in almost all the areas.The metrological department has measured 91.5 mm of rainfall in the federal capital till 8:00 pm on Monday. While during the same period Rawalpindi received 75 mm of rainfall.The downpour that continued into the night, resulted in the inundation of several low-lying areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Several roads and underpasses in twin cities flooded, forcing the motorists to use alternate routes after the roads became impassable when water levels rose above the ground.Many areas of Rawalpindi inundated as heavy and continuous downpour chocked water drains and open sewer systems let the floodwater on to the roads and into the streets. Benazir Bhutto Road dug up as part of under-construction 6th Road flyover added to the woes of motorists. Rainwater also entered in colonies located along the Nullah Leh. Knee-deep water on many of the Pindi roads resulted in break down of motor vehicles adding up to the traffic snarls.Owing to uninterrupted rain, the attendance at educational institutes remained low. Business activities in markets remained suspended, as under given weather conditions people preferred to stay indoors.According to Met Office, a strong western system is affecting most parts of the country and likely to persist for till Tuesday. This strong weather system is expected to generate heavy rains with snowfall over the hills in upper parts of the country. “Widespread rain with snowfall over the hills is likely in upper parts of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, upper Punjab and Kashmir/Gilgit-Baltistan, while scattered rain in southern Punjab and upper Sindh and at isolated places of southern Sindh,” Met Office predicted. INP add: Recent rain spell increasing the intensity of chill and followed by extremely low gas pressure has further added to the miseries of the domestic consumers in most parts of the garrison city and Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB). The fresh spell of winter rain started on Saturday night in Rawalpindi and Islamabad with snowfall over the hills has increased intensity of chill in the atmosphere. The rain spell is likely to continue till Tuesday (today). On the other hand the residents of different localities of the city and Rawalpindi Cantonment Board faced zero gas pressure, which increased their problems during chilly weather.The rain also created some other problems for the residents as they faced electricity shutdown in some areas and zero gas pressure in majority of areas with the start of the rain. The most affected areas where people faced zero gas pressure on Sunday and Monday include Misrial Road, Chakra, Pindora Chongi, Saidpur Road, Westridge, Saddar, Adiyala Road, Dhoke Seydan, Shakriyal, Dhok Paracha, Dhok Kashmirian, Kurri Road, Commercial Market, Raja Bazaar and Morgah. Moreover, heavy and light rain spells chocked drains and sewerage system in some parts of the city exposing the poor performance of civic bodies including Rawalpindi Cantonment Board and Chaklala Cantonment Board.Meanwhile, the recent rains have exposed the slackness and poor performance of sanitation department of Cantonment Board Rawalpindi, as roads and streets at many places turned into dirty pools due to clogging of sewerages.Residents of Tench Bhata, People’s Colony and other areas said that the sewerage lines were already blocked as these were not cleaned and desalinated properly. The recent rains added to the problem and water gathered on roads and streets making problems for them, specifically for the pedestrians.The residents said that speedy vehicles passing through the bazaars sprinkle the accumulated dirty water on the pedestrians. The sanitation department did not clean the area properly, that is why a little rain creates trouble for the residents, they said. They demanded of the Cantt Board high-ups to take notice of the situation and order immediate sanitation of the area.