Record-breaking rainfall hit Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, causing flooding, power outages, and submerged streets, the national weather agency reported on Thursday.
Lahore received almost 360 millimetres (14 inches) of rain in three hours, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
“This was unprecedented rainfall,” said Farooq Dar, the deputy director of the agency, to AFP.
The city saw its previous record set in July 1980 when 332 millimetres of rain fell over three hours.
Sadam, a 32-year-old shopkeeper, expressed exhaustion from trying to remove water from his shop after the deluge, stating, “We’re exhausted from trying to remove the water.”
The PMD had predicted a wetter-than-usual monsoon season in Pakistan this year, considering the country is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events due to climate change.
Recently, heavy rainfall in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province led to the death of 24 individuals over the past three days.
Additionally, in Lahore, one person died from electrocution during the rainstorm, and the city’s commissioner declared an emergency, closing offices and schools for the day.
A resident, Yasir Ali, lamented the situation, saying, “For a poor person, it is heartbreaking that he’s been unable to go to work today.”
– ‘Pay some attention here’ –
Two government hospitals in Lahore reported flooding in their wards and faced power outages, disrupting services.
Roads were submerged, halting traffic and business operations. Ahmed Khan, a daily wage earner, urged the government to address the water issue.
Punjab province’s chief minister, Maryam Sharif, assured that the government was working to drain the water and resolve the situation.
The summer monsoon season brings crucial rainfall to South Asia, supporting agriculture, but changing weather patterns linked to climate change pose risks to lives and livelihoods.
Earlier this year, Pakistan faced heatwaves and heavy rainfall, with April being the wettest month since 1961, leading to casualties from lightning strikes and storms.
In neighboring India, torrential rains caused landslides in Kerala, resulting in the deaths of at least 160 individuals, mainly laborers and their families.
In 2022, Pakistan experienced severe monsoon rains that inundated a third of the country, displacing millions and incurring significant economic losses estimated at $30 billion by the World Bank.
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