LAHORE: Parts of Punjab and Islamabad received rain on Wednesday morning, marking the onset of a fresh monsoon spell in the country just as a previous one that caused flooding in several areas of Punjab and claimed more than 100 lives ended.
As of 11am, one person was injured in a rain-related incident in Lahore during the new spell.
According to Rescue 1122, a 25-year-old man was injured after the roof of a house collapsed in Lahore's Baghbanpura area. The emergency service said the roof was constructed with wooden beams and other materials. The injured man was taken to Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital.
Meanwhile, an update by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) at 11.10am said the highest rainfall in the city was recorded in Mughalpura at 44.4mm.
It was followed by 39.8mm in Tajpura, 31.4mm at Pani Wala Talab, 29mm at Chowk Nakhuda, 26.8mm in Johar Town, 22.4mm in Shadipura, 22mm at Lakshmi Chowk, 16.4mm in Farrukhabad, 15.8mm in Farrukhabad, 7.6mm in Saggian, 6.2mm in Nishtar Town and 5mm at Upper Mall.
Gulshan-i-Ravi also received 1mm of rain, while 0.8mm was recorded at Jail Road and 0.2mm in Iqbal Town.
Separately, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said several areas of Sialkot, as well as Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Narowal, Mangla and Murree received showers between 2am and 5am.
According to the Met Office, Sialkot recorded 54mm of rainfall during the period, while Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Narowal and Murree also received showers.
In its report on the situation in Sialkot, Wasa listed several areas where rain caused inundation, with water levels ranging from 10 to 18 inches at about 6am.
A day earlier, the PMD forecast rain across the country from July 29 to Aug 5.
It warned that heavy rainfall could trigger flash floods in hilly regions and inundate urban centres.
The forecast came as several areas of Punjab continued to recover from flooding caused by the previous rain spell, which ended on Tuesday.
An irrigation official told Dawn that flooded nullahs, which had to be breached during the recent floods, submerged large tracts of land along the GT Road near Lahore and Gujranwala, as well as Kasur.
AFP reported that floodwaters spread across fields and villages near Muridke.
"Floodwater has inundated our area since Friday, leaving the entire neighbourhood submerged," said Muhammad Faisal, 39, a labourer.
Haris Dar, a rescue volunteer, said dozens of villages remained under water and rescue teams were continuing to evacuate stranded residents while distributing meals to affected families.
A statement issued after a meeting chaired by the prime minister said agricultural land in some areas had been inundated by flooding in seasonal streams, and drainage operations were under way.
According to the statement, 110 people lost their lives, 360 were injured, 796 houses were damaged and 376 head of livestock perished during the previous monsoon spell.
