Schools closed in Rawalpindi as heavy rain lashes twin cities

RAWALPINDI: Heavy rain lashed Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Tuesday morning, inundating low-lying areas, raising the water level in Leh Nullah and prompting the district administration in the garrison city to announce a holiday for educational institutions.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that the water level in Leh Nullah had risen to 29 feet at Kattarian and 23.5 feet at Gawalmandi.

Evacuation begun along Kattarian and Gawalmandi as 200mm of rain was recorded in the catchment areas of Leh Nullah.

PMD data till 8:20am showed that Saidpur received 104mm of rainfall, 157mm in Golra, 72mm in Bokra, 155 mm at the PMD site near H-8/2, 74mm at Kutchery, 201mm at Shamsabad, 86mm at Pir Widhai, 186mm at New Kattarian

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi district administration announced a public holiday for educational institutions. In a post on X, the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel.

The Islamabad deputy commissioner, Irfan Nawaz Memon, said on X that around 150mm of rainfall in the federal capital, particularly E-11, had caused the drains to overflow, causing water to accumulate on the roads.

He said that rainwater had also entered some basements that had already been sealed by the district administration. He said the dewatering process was ongoing and rescue work was also ongoing after a wall collapse in D12, although no loss of life was reported.

Islamabad traffic police also 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.

Motorists were advised to use fog lights during poor visibility and remain in their designated lanes. The traffic police said water accumulation on some roads could affect the normal flow of traffic and advised citizens to plan their journeys accordingly and leave home accordingly.

Rain had also lashed the twin cities on Monday afternoon, disrupting normal life and inundating low-lying areas. The downpour continued for two hours with small intervals.

Last week, the Met Office had predicted more rain in the country’s upper parts until September 5. It had 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.