Lahore: Wasa fights to keep city dry

LAHORE: A continuous two hours of rain on Monday kept the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) ‘fighting’ the rainwater that inundated roads across the city. The rain initially started at 12.30pm and ended at 2.30pm, but then resumed in the evening. The drainage situation was particularly bad in Barkat Market, Lakshmi Chowk and on MM Alam Road, The Mall and Railway Road.

Traffic problems: On The Mall, traffic remained suspended from the National College of Arts (NCA) to the GPO Chowk. Abid, a motorist, said, “The traffic mess always adds to the commuters’ misery and also wastes their precious time.” Many WASA employees were seen trying to clear rainwater from the roads.

WASA Managing Director Javed Iqbal said the agency had been successful in timely drainage of roads. He said Lakshmi Chowk was most affected but the agency had brought the situation under control by evening. He said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had monitored the situation.

The Met office recorded 44mm and 38mm of rain at the airport and in the city, respectively. The maximum temperature remained at 33 degrees Celsius and minimum temperature was recorded at 26 degrees Celsius. The office has forecast more rain with thunderstorms in the next 24 hours. River Indus at Chashma and Guddu and River Ravi at Balloki were in low flood, the office added.
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