Record rainfall hits Lahore, flooding hospitals and streets

PAKISTAN's second-largest city, Lahore, experienced record-breaking rainfall on Thursday, according to the national weather agency. Hospitals were flooded, power was interrupted, and streets were submerged in the city of 13 million people.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that nearly 360 millimetres of rain fell in three hours, surpassing the previous record of 332 millimetres in July 1980. "This was record-breaking rainfall," said Farooq Dar, the agency's deputy director.

The PMD had predicted a wetter-than-usual monsoon season this year. In the past three days, 24 people have died due to rainfall in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

In Lahore, local police reported that one person was killed by electrocution during the rainstorm on Thursday morning.

The city's commissioner declared an emergency and announced the closure of offices and schools for the day.

Two government hospitals reported flooding in their wards, and there were intermittent power outages into the afternoon. Submerged roads halted traffic and business activities.

Maryam Sharif, the chief minister of eastern Punjab province, stated on social media site X that "the entire government machinery is in the field" to drain the water.

The summer monsoon accounts for 70 to 80 per cent of South Asia's annual rainfall between June and September, crucial for agriculture. However, changing weather patterns linked to climate change pose risks to lives and livelihoods.

This year, Pakistan experienced a series of heatwaves and the wettest April since 1961, resulting in 143 deaths from lightning strikes and other storm-related incidents.

In neighbouring India, torrential rains have caused landslides in Kerala, killing at least 160 people.

In 2022, unprecedented monsoon rains submerged a third of Pakistan, displacing millions and causing over £23 billion. in damages, according to the World Bank.

(With inputs from AFP)