Daily Times

At least 49 people were killed and 176 others injured in rain-related incidents across the country during the current spell of heavy downpour, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Wednesday.

According to the NDMA report released, 117 houses have so far been damaged as torrential rains continue to play havoc across the country. Punjab was the worst-hit by the rain, where at least 15 people died and 94 were injured in the last two days, provincial disaster management director Rashid Ahmed said. “The majority died in roof and wall collapse incidents,” Ahmed said. Moreover, authorities said 11 people died in Balochistan, 18 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and five in Sindh. The NDMA has sent an alert to the government departments for relief work.

Three children died while five members of a family received injuries when the roof of a house collapsed due to rain on Wednesday. Similarly, three people were killed and seven others injured in rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A day earlier, nine people, including two children, were killed in flashfloods in different areas of Balochistan. Three others were injured in the floods.

According to Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), more than 150 feeders tripped due to rain, pushing half of the city into darkness. In Faisalabad, heavy rains interrupted the power supply system after 110 electricity supply feeders tripped, a Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) spokesman told the state-run news agency. Jhang, Gojra, Samundri, Tandlianwala, Sargodha and their surrounding areas suffered from power outages, he said, adding that the field staff worked actively and restored electricity supply. The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) in its statement said that as many as 211 feeders tripped due to rain, of which 109 had been restored. Work to restore the remaining feeders was underway, a PESCO spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar alerted the provincial administration, police and the line departments in wake of the recent spell of rains in the province. He directed them to remain vigilant round-the-clock to cope with any untoward situation. “They should maintain close contacts with each other and also be fully prepared for relief activities. The officers should go to the field instead of sitting in their offices and effective steps should be taken to drain out water from roads and low-lying areas. Any negligence in the drainage of water would not be tolerated,” he added.

Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan directed the authorities concerned to ensure preventive measures in the wake of recent heavy rains. People have been advised to contact Rescue 1122 in case of any emergency. The rain and hailstorms also destroyed wheat crops in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh. According to Met Office, a very severe weather system has entered Pakistan. Heavy downpours are likely to continue for the next 48 hours in different parts of the country.

Rains also affected wheat, mango and other crops at a time of harvest. In Sindh, hundreds of acres of crops have been damaged, while Punjab might lose two million tonnes of wheat due to this weather. Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar are among the worst-hit areas.