Red alert in Rawalpindi after water level at Lai Nullah rises

RAWALPINDI: Following heavy rainfall and rising of the water level to dangerous level at Lai Nullah here the authorities have issued red alert on Wednesday to warn the public of possible flooding in adjacent areas.

The downpour has caused rise in Rawalpindi’s Lai Nullah water level up to nine feet after the new spell of monsoon rains in the country.

Cancelling the holidays of Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) officials, the authorities have set off alarm bells.

On the flip side, rain water has inundated various roads in Sialkot and Jhelum, causing hurdles for the locals to perform routine tasks.

Three to five feet water has been witnessed on the roads in Swabi after which the locals have been directed to move to safer places.

Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has rang the alarm bell and warned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government of the threat of possible flooding.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in Balochistan’s Zhob and adjoining areas have severely damaged the Mir Ali Bridge.

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has said that the current wet spell will continue to persist in the country till Thursday.

It also stated that dust-thunderstorm and light showers with gusty winds are expected at isolated places in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Dera Ismail Khan, Sahiwal, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.

The rain-related incidents in the country have reportedly claimed at least eight lives in last 24 hours.

Three members of a family died and two others suffered injuries when the roof of their house collapsed due to rainfall in a Gujranwala neighborhood on Wednesday morning.