Heavy rain causes drainage problems across Lahore

LAHORE: Heavy rain hit Lahore on Tuesday, causing widespread disruption as motorists were stranded at several locations amid complaints that rainwater was not drained quickly enough.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) said Samanabad recorded the highest rainfall in the city. According to a report prepared by the agency, Samanabad received 46.2mm of rain, followed by Iqbal Town with 45.6mm, Farrukahabad with 44.4mm, Gulberg with 42.6mm and Chowk Nakhuda with 42.4mm. The city received an average of 33.8mm rainfall.

Wasa said efforts were made to remove accumulated rainwater as early as possible. However, commuters at different points in the city complained of severe inconvenience due to standing water and slow drainage.

At the Jail Road underpass on Canal Road, traffic moved very slowly because of significant rainwater accumulation. A motorist there said, “The entire underpass is filled with rainwater and no one from Wasa has reached here to drain it out.”

The rainfall once again highlighted Lahore’s long-running rainwater drainage and sewerage problems, despite major public spending on infrastructure upgrades over the years. Although there had been some improvement, the city continued to face serious issues in this area.

Near Tikka Khan Chowk in Johar Town, a resident questioned the effectiveness of the spending and criticised Wasa’s performance. He said, “I wonder where the money is going, whether it is being spent on infrastructure or going in the pockets of officers. Here, Wasa, despite spending huge money, couldn’t succeed to get the issue of water accumulation resolved.” He also called for official scrutiny, saying, “The government must constitute a special team to carry out a performance audit of Wasa and development schemes.”

Wasa response

Wasa Deputy Managing Director (Operations) Muhammad Latif said the agency’s teams had made full efforts to clear rainwater quickly, although he acknowledged that some issues had arisen.

Mr Latif said, “We have almost (till 8.15pm) cleared all areas/sore points of the city. But I don’t know the situation exactly about the Jail Road underpass and other choking points on Canal Road.”

He added that the water accumulation at Tikka Khan Chowk was linked to technical and engineering issues and said the problem would be resolved soon.

The rain left several parts of Lahore facing traffic disruption and drainage difficulties, with Wasa maintaining that clearance work was carried out on priority while residents and motorists voiced frustration over recurring urban flooding at key points.