577 mm rainfall cripples Gujarat with rural and urban flooding

GUJARAT: The city of Gujarat is currently experiencing the worst urban flooding, with water accumulating up to 4 feet in urban areas due to continuous heavy rains and inadequate drainage.

Madina Syedan, Kachhari Chowk, Gondal Chowk, Zahoor Elahi Stadium, and Jail Chowk have been filled with floodwater.

There has been severe panic among the citizens, and continuous announcements are being made from mosques while the district administration seems completely helpless.

Efforts to divert rainwater have so far failed; floodwaters coming from Nala Bhinder and Nala Bhimba have engulfed many houses, and one house has been swept away.

According to sources, valuable goods of shops have been destroyed due to urban flooding, while several government buildings, including the Sessions Court premises, have been submerged in water.

According to the Meteorological Department, Gujarat and Gujranwala divisions received record-breaking rainfall of up to 577 mm in the last 24 hours, which is being declared the worst regional rainfall record in recent history.

A dangerous flood of 319,000 cusecs is passing through the Sutlej River at Head Ganda Singh Wala in Kasur, which has engulfed more than a dozen villages, including Noori Wala, Bhedian, and Usman Wala.

High-level floods in the Sutlej River caused devastation in the suburbs of Laddan. Several settlements were submerged after the protective embankment at Mehr Baloch broke.

The wall of the Government Elementary School collapsed, and the building and furniture were also washed away.

Floodwaters of the Ravi River entered the Kund Sargana, Qatalpur, and Barbegi areas of Kabirwala. The protective dam, built with the help of local people, has broken in several places.