Heavy monsoon rains inundated large parts of Lahore on Wednesday, flooding roads and underpasses, disrupting traffic across the city and exposing persistent shortcomings in the urban drainage system.
A motorcyclist was electrocuted after coming into contact with a live electric wire submerged in rainwater, officials said.
Major roads, including Lakshmi Chowk, Expo Centre Road, Lawrence Road, Badami Bagh and Safanwala Chowk, along with several low-lying residential areas, were submerged under several feet of water. Numerous vehicles broke down in flooded streets, leaving commuters stranded for hours as traffic moved at a crawl.
Residents described Lakshmi Chowk as resembling an urban lake, while standing water remained on sections of Expo Centre Road long after the rainfall had stopped, raising fresh concerns over the city’s drainage infrastructure.
The Punjab government said emergency response teams from the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), district administration, the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and other departments were deployed immediately on the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
Officials said water was cleared from major ponding areas and underpasses within hours, while drainage operations were carried out across 41 districts. Authorities also claimed rainwater accumulated in Gujrat city was drained within three hours.
According to the PDMA, Gujranwala recorded the highest rainfall over the past 24 hours with 250 millimetres, followed by Sialkot (139mm), Mandi Bahauddin (138mm), Narowal (117mm), Hafizabad (85mm), Chakwal (70mm) and Okara (64mm).
The Irrigation Department said a medium flood was continuing at Marala Barrage on the Chenab River, where inflow reached 224,496 cusecs and outflow stood at 206,496 cusecs. Qadirabad Barrage was also experiencing a medium flood, while Khanki Barrage remained at a low flood level. Water flows at other rivers and barrages were reported to be within normal limits.
The PDMA said 17 people have died and 107 others have been injured in rain-related incidents since the start of the monsoon season. Of the fatalities, 12 were caused by the collapse of dilapidated buildings, two by lightning strikes and three by electrocution.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast another spell of widespread heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours across Lahore, other parts of Punjab, Kashmir, and the Islamabad-Rawalpindi region. The department warned of possible urban flooding, flash floods in local streams, and landslides in Murree and Galiyat, urging authorities and the public to take precautionary measures.