Torrential rain claims over 11 lives in Pakistan; death toll reaches 79

Islamabad, July 10 (IANS) As torrential monsoon rain continues to lash Pakistan, flash floods, landslides, and lightning strikes have claimed at least 11 more lives on Thursday, bringing the nationwide death toll since June 26 to over 79, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Two children and a woman were reportedly killed by electrocution in Kasur district, while others died in incidents related to flooding and lightning strikes in various parts of the country, according to local media reports.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has placed multiple regions under high alert, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, and several districts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as the rain continues to batter the nation.

Additionally, several roads have been blocked due to flooding, which has impacted the traffic in these cities, according to a report by the leading Pakistani newspaper, The Express Tribune.

Urban flooding has severely impacted major cities such as Lahore, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala, where rainwater has submerged low-lying areas and paralysed traffic. Roads in several key localities remain inundated, causing widespread disruption.

The forecast reports suggest that heavy rainfall is likely to persist until Friday, raising the risk of flash floods.

In Punjab province, cities like Sialkot, Gujrat, Chiniot, Kasur, Ferozewala, Sargodha, etc, have reported intense rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning.

According to the Water and Sanitation Agency's (Wasa) Monsoon Control Room, Lahore recorded an average of 58.8mm of rain, while some areas of the city, like Nishtar Town, received the highest 84mm, followed by Lakshmi Chowk (78mm) and Paniwala Talab (74mm).

As the heavy downpours lashed Lahore, shortcomings in the drainage system's management were exposed when the key areas of the city, like Jail Road, Qurtaba Chowk, and Wasa Head Office in Gulberg, were waterlogged.

Despite claims by the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) of clearing over 6,000 waste containers and deploying cleaning crews, residents have expressed frustration at the lack of visible progress.

The rainwater mixed with overflowing sewage has raised growing public health concerns, according to the residents, who are also finding it dreadful to navigate clogged roads.

"The main roads are still submerged, and no one from the administration is here to help," Asif Mahmood, a shopkeeper at Lakshmi Chowk, told Dunya News.

Furthermore, the situation has worsened in the hilly regions, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Murree, due to the risk of landslides.

In Balochistan, areas like Zhob and Sibi are among the worst affected.

--IANS

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