LAHORE/PESHAWAR/WANA   -   Heavy rains battered parts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday with authorities saying 27 people had died in rain-related incidents in both provinces.

Record-breaking eavy rainfall lashed Lahore on Thursday which turned the weather pleasant and inundated low laying areas, causing traffic problem.  The Met office has predicted another monsoon spell of torrential rains in most parts of the country including the city from Friday to Tuesday.

In Lahore, torrential rains broke a record of at least 44 years on Thursday as the city witnessed a maximum rainfall of almost 360 millimetres within hours in the Airport area.

The city was lashed by almost 360mm of rain in three hours, said the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), breaking a previous record of 332mm over three hours in July 1980.

“This was record-breaking rainfall,” said the agency’s deputy director Farooq Dar.

The city of more than 13 million had been facing humidity and sultry weather for the last two months, with experts attributing the extreme weather fluctuations to climate change.

On Thursday, rain began at 4:45 am which continued without any interruption until 1:30 PM, varying in intensity from heavy to light. The heaviest rainfall was recorded at the airport, with 360 millimeters, while Pani Wala Talab observed 324 millimeters. Other areas also experienced significant rainfall:

Gulberg 214 mm, Laxmi Chowk 248 mm, Upper Mall 218 mm, Mughalpura 227 mm, Tajpura 260 mm, Nishter Town 312 mm, Chowk Nakhuda 262 mm, Farrukhabad 298 mm, Gulshan-e-Ravi 248 mm, Iqbal Town 262 mm, Samnabad 250 mm, Johar Town 280 mm, and Qartaba Chowk 225 mm. Many other areas recorded over 200 millimeters of rain.

According to a spokesman for the Pakistan Meteorological Department, strong monsoon currents are likely to penetrate from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal in upper parts till 02nd August and under the influence of this weather system, rain wind/thundershower (scattered heavy with isolated very heavy falls) are expected in Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Sahiwal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Okara, Pakpattan, Kasur, Khushab, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Khanewal, Lohdran, Muzaffargarh, Kot Addu, Rajanpur, Rahimyar Khan, Layyah, Mianwali and Pothohar Region during the period.

Heavy downpour may cause urban flooding in low lying areas of Gujranwala, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Sialkot, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Sahiwal, Nowshera and Peshawar from 02nd to 05th August.

Heavy downpour/windstorm and lightning may affect daily routines, weak structures like roof/wall collapse of Kutcha houses (mud houses), electric poles, bill boards, vehicles and solar panels etc during the period.

Farmers are advised to manage their activities keeping in view the weather forecast and travelers and tourists are advised to remain extra cautious and manage their travelling according to weather conditions and avoid any untoward situation during the wet spell.

Meanwhile, three people lost their lives due to heavy rain in several parts of the provincial capital. Seven people also sustained injuries.

According to a Rescue-1122 spokesman, the roof of a house in a suburban village near Baba Bulleh Shah Interchange at Gajjumata Lahore collapsed, which resulted in one death and injuries to five people.

Another roof collapsed at Shaukat Khanum Chowk, in which two people suffered injuries. One of the injured was taken to Jinnah Hospital for treatment.

In two other incidents, electric shock claimed lives of two citizens. A 30-year-old man travelling by a motorbike suffered an electric shock after coming into contact with an electricity pole. The deceased could not be identified.  The other incident took place on the premises of Kot Lakhpat police station, where a citizen touched an electricity pole accidently and suffered a severe electric shock. He was taken to the General Hospital, but could not survive.

At least 24 people were killed and 17 others injured in various rain-related incidents during the last three days in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Thursday, warning that more rains were likely in the coming days in the province.

The PDMA confirmed the death of 24 people with 17 others injured including 6 men, 6 women and 12 children, while 8 men, 3 women and 6 children are among the injured.

A total of 150 houses were damaged due to wind and rain. In which 77 houses were partially damaged and 73 houses were completely damaged, the spokesman of the PDMA said. Due to heavy rains, life and financial accidents occurred in various districts of Kohat, Bajaur, Chitral Upper and Lower, Dir Upper, Kohistan Upper and Lower, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swat, Charsadda, Swabi, Mohmand, South Waziristan and Hangu.

The spokesman said that relief operations are going on in the affected areas, small and big missionaries are being used to open the closed roads with district administration and relief teams are engaged in relief activities in the affected districts.

The PDMA has also directed the district administration of the affected districts to provide immediate financial support to the victims. PDMA is in the process of providing relief materials to the victims in the affected areas.

As per the directives of the Director General PDMA, concerned agencies and all district administrations are in constant contact and monitoring the situation. Tourists should avoid traveling to tourist spots until the situation is normal, the spokesman said. PDMA’s Emergency Operation Center is fully operational and public and tourists can contact 1700 for any untoward incident, weather conditions, road closures and guidance, said spokesperson.

Meanwhile, the recent heavy rainfall in South Waziristan has left the road from Makeen to Tank in shambles, causing significant disruption to traffic movement. The deluge has created massive obstacles on the road, making it challenging for vehicles to travel between the two destinations.

In areas such as Dwa Toi, Aryan Khulla, Piyazha, Sarray Khaware, and Zaghbirg Wam, landslides have deposited rocks and dirt on the road, damaging the lower parts of vehicles and resulting in substantial financial losses for owners.

Irfan Mehsud, President of the Transport Union, alleged that the provincial government’s mismanagement of funds meant for road repairs has exacerbated the issue. He claimed that millions of rupees allocated annually from the M&R fund are embezzled by the Provincial Highway Authority and contractors through bogus bills.

Mehsud demanded that the provincial government initiate immediate road restoration work and take action against those responsible for misappropriating funds. The situation has left commuters and vehicle owners stranded, and a swift resolution is essential to restore normalcy to the region.

Separately, Director General Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Mahr Sahibzad Khan Thursday revealed that the high flood situation could occur in Chenab River during this monsoon season, if the rain continued with the same pace.

“The PMD is closely monitoring the water levels in the reservoirs and sending timely information to all the concerned authorities to take precautionary measures for avoiding any untoward situation”, the Director General said during a press conference held here.

Briefing about the current situation of reservoirs, Sahibzad Khan said that the current level of water in Tarbela is 1526.89 ft while the maximum conservation level is 1550.00 ft.

The current water level in Mangla is 1202.15 ft out of the total conservation level of 1242.00 while in Rawal Dam, the current water level is 1739.00 ft and the maximum conservation level is 1752.00 ft.

In Simly Dam, the current water level is 2277.5 ft out of the total conservation level of 2315.00 ft while in Khanpur Dam, the water level is 1942.4 ft and the maximum conservation level is 1982.00 ft.

The Director General indicated fewer chances of floods considering the overall rainfall situation so far however, he said, the high flood situation can be developed in Chenab river, if rain continues with same intensity.

He said that after the rain spell of Aug 01-06, there are chances of another rain spell August 07-15 about which the PMD will issue an advisory.

The first two weeks of August are expected to witness above normal rains, he said.

Giving the overview of rainfall during the month of July, he said that Pakistan has received -07 percent below normal rainfall in July with Balochistan received 23 percent more rainfall, Punjab 12 percent more rainfall, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 24 percent less rainfall, Sindh 45 percent less rainfall, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 46 percent less rainfall and Gilgit Baltistan 66 percent less rainfall.

The significant rainfall recorded during monsoon till now included 662 mm in Lahore (Airport) followed by 480 mm in Sialkot (Airport), 403 mm in Rawalpindi (Chaklala), 332 mm in Sialkot (City), 323 mm in Gujrat and 317 mm in Mandi Bahauddin.

He disclosed that the Lahore has witnessed record-breaking rainfall of 360 mm (24 hours rainfall) on August 01. Earlier the rainfall of 332.5 mm (24 hours rainfall) was recorded on July 31, 1980.

About the impact of rain on agriculture sector, Sahibzad Khan said that the rain would be beneficial for the rice and sugarcane crops.

Sahibzad Khan highlighted that there were chances of more than normal rainfall trend for most parts of the country during the month of August.

However, North East Punjab and Lower Sindh are expected to have slightly above normal rainfall during August. The day time maximum temperatures are expected to remain normal in most parts of the country, he said.