LAHORE - The monsoon crash program initiated on the directives of Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has been entirely exposed, as just 38 millimetre rain on Monday brought flood like situation in the city making alarming bells for the CDGL, WASA, SWM and other civic agencies that if it rains more than the intensity, city is likely to be doomed to face tsunami like situation. Lahorities are under the great panic fearing that nevertheless numerous arrangements made by WASA and other agencies with launching monsoon crash program, if merely 38 mm rain could turn the city into pounds and lakes, then how might they be rescued in heavy rain. WASA launched the monsoon crash program by constituting a six members committee headed by Wasa Vice Chairman Bilal Yaseen and comprising PML-N MPAs, including Salman Rafiq, Dr Asad Ashraf, Mehr Ishtiaq, Hafiz Nauman and Punjab information secretary Khawaja Hassan. The committee was assigned to improve the management and operation of the agency and monitoring the monsoon crash programme to ensure dewatering and desilting operation throughout the rainy season. The committee also prepared the list of most critical areas and established emergency centers. But regretfully the committee could not produce the desired results. Uninterrupted rain, varying in consistency from drizzle to heavy showers, whipped up the city, changed the entire picture of the city into big pounds and lakes causing a lot of problems to the commuters, passers-by and residents. The day was heavily overcast at noon and rain hammered the city from 1pm till 6pm, bringing the mercury down to Celsius and almost blocking all outdoor activities. Traffic came to a grinding halt for several hours in many areas, including Gulberg, Model Town, DHA and other posh localities. Motorcyclists suffered the most as many broke down in knee-deep water. The heavy rain paralysed normal life, as several low-lying areas were inundated. The emergency cell of city district government received a deluge of frantic calls from various flooded localities, seeking help. Sanitation squads rushed to some troubled areas and pumped the water out. Wasa remained found helpless to remove the water in minimum time proving its incompetence. As many as 492 dewatering sets were to be installed in the entire City reserving 71 for low-lying areas under the monsoon action plan. Main storage of dewatering sets were to be maintained at the Mian Out Fall, however, installation could not be executed as per plan, showing delinquency on the part of authority concerned. The solid waste management department maintaining the drainage system of the Walled City and all the inter-city drains could not complete desilting work by June 30. It also failed to get implemented its plan of desilting underground sewerage system. Machinery at 12 major pumping station and 63 lift stations could not be put into action. LESCO too avoided ensuring uninterrupted power supply to the disposal station. The posh localities, considered to remain unaffected from monsoon's catastrophe, came under deep water during the heavy downpour. The DHA Y Block, Model Town and Gulberg were the worst hit areas. As the downpour hit the city people remained stranded into their houses. The people working in offices and running their business in different areas could not come out of buildings due to heavy rain. Traffic remained jam as the road went submerged. Cars and motorcycle were seen trapped in water with turned off engines. Riders had to propel their vehicles so as to take them out of the rainwater. The situation at many roads, which were under construction, became more miserable. Maulana Shaukat Ali Road is one clear example of such road as after the rain residents of the adjoining areas of Johar Town, Faisal Town, Township and Pindi Rajputan faced serious difficulties. The rain turned streets and footpaths in muddy pass ways, causing great inconvenience for the pedestrians and motorcyclists. The footpaths had either disappeared in accumulated water or were occupied by the encroachers, leaving no way for pedestrians to walk along the roads. Residential streets also remained inundated while rainwater and heaps of filth, plastic bags and waste dumped on the roads worsened the situation. Most of the people complained that the CDGL staff did not sweep the roads and streets due to which the solid waste and garbage choked the sewer lines, resulting in accumulation of rainwater in the residential localities for hours. The localities which suffered most included Shahdra, Data Nagar, Qila Lachman Singh, Dev Samaj Road, Tajpura, Chungi Amr Sidhu, Kot Lakhpat, Township, Nisbat Road, Samanabad, GT Road (from Eik Morya Pul to Cooperative Store), Ichra, Shah Kamal, Garhi Shahu, Wassanpura, Purani Anarkali, Mozang, Bagh Gul Begum, Allama Iqbal Town, Wahdat Colony, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Shad Bagh, Misri Shah, New Chauburji, Gulfishan Colony, Bagbanpura and Mughalpura.