ISLAMABAD: Heavy monsoon rains lashed Pakistan’s twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad early Wednesday, triggering urban flooding alerts as authorities issued warnings for continued thunderstorms across Punjab and parts of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the current weather system is expected to persist in Islamabad-Rawalpindi and surrounding areas, warning in a statement that “urban flooding may occur… during the forecast period.”
The public has been advised to take precautionary measures.
By 6:30am Wednesday, over 80 millimeters of rain had already been recorded across the two cities, according to Rawalpindi’s Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA). Specific rainfall totals included 52 mm in Saidpur, 66 mm in Bokra, 53 mm in Pir Wadhai, and 55 mm in Shamsabad, WASA Managing Director Muhammad Saleem Ashraf said.
Ashraf saaid a rain emergency had been declared, with WASA teams deployed alongside heavy machinery in low-lying areas.
