Dawn.com, Lahore :
At least 31 people have been killed in rain-related incidents across Punjab since Wednesday night, police and rescue sources said.
Fifteen deaths were reported from Lahore and a total of seven from the districts of Sialkot and Gujranwala.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced Rs 500,000 aid for the deceased persons and Rs 100,000 aid for those who were injured in monsoon rains.
The current spell is being generated by the first well-marked low pressure of the monsoon season that is moving towards Pakistan via Indian Rajasthan, moist current from the Bay of Bengal and a trough of westerly wave persisting over northern parts of the country.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department had sent out a warning that all rivers in Punjab would likely be in “very high” to “exceptionally high” flood from Sept 5 to 7 because of expected intensification of the current spell of fairly widespread rains reported from various parts of the country.
The floods of 2010 were the worst in Pakistan’s history, with 1,800 people killed and 21 million affected in what became a major humanitarian crisis.
Heavy rains resulted in inundated roads in Lahore, resulting in traffic flow being severely affected, while some areas also experienced power outage after transformers fell due to strong winds.
Schedules of flights and trains has also been affected as a result. Vehicles from Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) were seen on the roads but were unable to clear the water due to lack of proper equipment, including suction pipes.
