ISLAMABAD – A night of heavy rainfall Tuesday caused substantial disruption to the routine life in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, with water levels in the Nullah Leh rising to dangerous levels. The rain, which started at midnight, continued throughout the morning, inundating low-lying areas of the garrison city.
By morning, the water level in Nullah Leh at the Katarian Bridge surged to 16 feet, though it returned to normal level after the rain stopped. At Gawalmandi point, water level in the Nullah Leh was recorded at 12.5 feet.
District administration declared a rain emergency in the city, with teams from the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Rescue 1122, and local government deployed in potentially vulnerable areas. Despite the rain stopping in the morning, the situation remained critical, especially in the low-lying areas and efforts underway to mitigate flooding. The Meteorological Department reported substantial rainfall across the twin cities, with 87mm recorded in Islamabad’s Saidpur, 75mm in Rawalpindi’s New Katarian, and 42mm in Gawalmandi.
The heavy rain also lashed surrounding areas, including Murree, Galyat, and Hassan Abdal, providing relief from the continuing humidity. In Hassan Abdal, a town near Rawalpindi and Islamabad, a van was swept away by a seasonal streamflow near Jhari Kass on Wednesday morning, carrying 10 members of a family. While five people were rescued and moved to safety, four women and one child remain missing. Rescue 1122 workers rescued five persons onboard the vehicle and shifted them to hospital for medical aid.
According to the officials, a search operation was underway to trace other members of the family carried away by the flooding rainwater drain.
A car carrying a father and daughter was swept away by flood in Islamabad’s DHA Phase 5 on July 22, as heavy monsoon rainfall battered the twin cities. The vehicle could be seen in a viral video, caught in a sudden surge of water, leaving father and daughter unable to escape.
Since the start of monsoon season, more than 270 persons have died and 628 injured across Pakistan in rain and flooding.