The fourth spell of monsoon unleashed strong rains in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, causing flooding in many areas on Tuesday.

Intermittent heavy rains caused storm drains to overflow and disrupted life in the twin cities.

An alert has been issued in Rawalpindi due to the rising level of the Lai nullah. The water level has reached nine feet at Katarian and six feet at Gowalmandi.

Wasa has deployed heavy machinery at Gowalmandi, while rescue teams have been posted in Katarian and Gowalmandi to meet any eventuality.

The leaves of all Wasa, Rescue 1122 and Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) staff have been cancelled.

A complete ban has also been imposed on bathing in rivers and canals and strict action will be taken against violations.

Meanwhile, heavy rains caused the rainwater drains in Syedpur Village of Islamabad to overflow.

Around 163mm of rain has been recorded in Islamabad in three hours, causing the drains to look like rivers.

Several vehicles were swept away in the Syedpur drain, dozens of houses were damaged, and water entered low-lying areas.

According to reports, construction work on the Syedpur drain was completed this week, but due to illegal encroachments, drainage work could not be carried out, causing water to accumulate in low-lying areas.

The Islamabad administration said that illegal structures will be demolished after the rain to avoid any future emergencies.

Heavy rains in Islamabad and Rawalpindi since last night have disrupted normal life. The Meteorological Department has forecast more rain in the next few hours, triggering fears of possible water accumulation in low-lying areas and flooding.

According to the Meteorological Department, 69mm of rainfall has been recorded in the Syedpur area of Islamabad, 39mm in Bassein, 30mm in Taramri, and 24mm in Golra during the last 12 hours.

Chaklala and Bokra areas of Rawalpindi received 71mm and 51mm of rainfall, respectively.

On the other hand, the water level in Rawal Dam has reached 1750.10 acre feet. Officials said that the dam’s spillways were opened at 11am to keep the water level under control.

The NDMA has alerted all relevant agencies in view of the potential risks and directed residents to avoid unnecessary travel and exercise caution when moving in low-lying areas.

According to the Meteorological Department, the rain spell is likely to continue for the next 24 hours and urged the people to stay away from rivers and low-lying areas. It also asked district administrations to remain on high alert.