Rawalpindi-As many as three people were killed in rain related incidents in different parts of city on Tuesday. Heavy rain that hit the twin cities also played havoc in low laying areas as water inundated houses, basements and even the New Islamabad International Airport.
Rescue 1122 and officials of civic bodies including Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) remained on their toes to rescue the victims and to pump out water from different areas. According to details, two people died when a mud house collapsed due to heavy rain in the garrison city and a young man drowned in the Soan River. The rain turned out to be disastrous for a family that lived near Kuri Road, the members of the family identified as Mukhtar Ahmed (50) and Ameera Bibi (45) died at the spot while 14 years old Amina Mukhtar, received serious injuries and was admitted in the hospital. “People were sleeping when suddenly the roof of nearby house collapsed after the heavy rain and the whole family got trapped in the debris,” said a police official while talking to The Nation.
The Rescue 1122 official said that the mud house was in a bad condition and collapsed after heavy rain. In Pariyal Village, 27 years old Hasan Mubarra drowned in a nullah while swimming, after getting caught in a current due to a flash flood. However, the Rescue 1123 officials said that they failed to find the dead body of the young man and are still trying to locate it.
The heavy rain also raised the water level in Soan River and Leh Nullah and inundated the streets and roads in garrison city. The meteorological department recorded 39 millimetre rain at Golra, 58 mm Zero Point, 17 mm Saidpur and 56 mm Bokra in Islamabad and 60 mm Chaklala and 91 mm at Shamsabad in Rawalpindi while 76 mm at Islamabad International Airport. The rain started late at night and continued for two hours without any break. The met office predicted more rains during the next 24 hours.
The water level increased in the Leh Nullah and the administration was alerted to tackle any emergency situation. Low lying areas like Nadeem Colony, Javed Colony, Muslim Colony, Jamia Masjid Road, Bani Chowk, Sadiqabad and other areas were covered with two feet water. Talking to The Nation, WASA Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood said that the civic agency is on high alert and is ready to handle any emergency. He said that WASA shifted the machinery near low lying areas to drain out the water. Reportedly a passenger coach with 7 persons on board was also swept away by waves at Soan Bridge. However, rescuers and locals rescued the passengers safely. Moreover, a massive traffic jam was also witnessed in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad during torrential rain causing immense trouble for commuters.
Meanwhile, rain water also reportedly entered the New Islamabad International Airport which created a mess. However, Civil Aviation Authority denied the allegation and said that the rain water did not disturb flight operation nor did it create any problem for travellers. “This is to clarify that no rain water entered the lounges inside the Passenger Terminal Building last night or early morning today (Tuesday) and all operations are completely normal at IIAP,” said CAA spokesperson. However, she said that due to heavy thunderstorm last night, small amount of rain water entered the concourse hall only which is an open area at level 2 where relatives/friends wait to welcome or see off the passengers.
The airport management of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) took immediate measures and mobilised janitorial staff to clear the affected area outside the Passenger Terminal Building within a few minutes. Meanwhile, all operations remained normal and passengers faced no problem in this regard. PCAA is devotedly providing best in class services and facilities to all passengers.