Lahore Hit by Record Rain in Just 3 Hours – A 2024 Catastrophe

News 02 Aug 2024 327 Views

“Lahore experienced an unprecedented weather event in 2024, with record-breaking rainfall inundating the city in just three hours. This catastrophic deluge led to severe flooding, widespread power outages, and significant disruptions across the metropolis.”

The highest rainfall was recorded at Lahore airport, about 337mm on Thursday morning, said Dr Rana Muhammad Arif, Senior Meteorologist.

Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) deputy director, Farooq Dar, also expressed his views and called it a “record-breaking rainfall”.

Furthermore, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari told a presser that 360 mm of rain on Thursday, August 1, challenged the record of the last 44 years of July 1980

Azma Bokhari mentioned that, in this scenario of heavy rain damage,

“Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz put all the institutions on red alert, and the administration will be mobilized immediately if there is rain at any place,”

Consequences of Cloudburst on Thursday, 1st August, 2024 in Lahore

One person died in Nishat Colony due to an electric shock that happened out of heavy rain in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab city, Lahore. A 14-year-old boy, Abdullah Altaf, drowned in a street flooded with rainwater near Chungi Amar Sadhu, said police.

In Gajjumata, a girl of 5 years died due to the collapse of a roof in heavy rain, and six other persons were injured.

Gulam Mustafa, a 41-year-old man, was electrocuted in the Defence area out of heavy rain.

The city’s commissioner declared a shutdown of schools and offices to deal with the heavy rainfall.

Drainage systems are overwhelmed , roads , streets and basements are under heavy flood. Residents said that rainwater overwhelmed houses in various areas of the city.

Rain water entered some wards of Jinnah and Service hospitals and caused problematic situations for patients , doctors and workers there.

“It is a sad day for poor people who are unable to go to work today, “ said the 26-year-old resident. He also mentioned, “I am unable to earn bread for today.”
Commuters said citizens face a heavy crisis for local transport due to the disruption of three public transport buses ‘Speedo’ in Lahore due to heavy floods on routes. Moreover, in the latest report of the Province Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), a total of 150 homes were damaged by floods in Lahore; 73 were completely destroyed, and the rest were partially damaged.

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