Altaf Hamid Rao.
Mirpur lashes with first torrential Monsoon rainfall: New City suffer worst landsliding in various sectors:
.MIRPUR (AJK): July 22: Lake district of Mirpur and the areas in outskirt lashed with heavy rain with thunderstorm wee hours on Monday opening the beginning of the monsoon that also hit various other parts of Azad Jammu Kashmir.
The parts of AJK State lashed with much predicted torrential rains which played havoc in certain areas including Mirpur district causing partial loss to the material – especially in the New City and various adjoining slums in different down parts of this district located close to the pariphary of Mangla lake, official sources confirmed while talking to our Special Jammu and Kashmir state Correspondent Altaf Hamid Rao here Monday.
Mirpur went in the grip of heavy rainfall wee hours Monday breaking the hot spell to a greater extent besides turning various low-lying areas into ponds and seasonal nullahs flooded with the rainy water. The rain was continuing intermittently till filing of the report Monday evening.
According to details the monsoon’s first heavy spell of rains coupled with speedy wind storm, hit various parts of the city partially affecting the normal life. The low-lying Mirpur-Kotli Highway and other city streets inundated with heavy rainy water that disturbed the vehicular traffic.. The rainy water also hit the road-side buildings in thickly populated low lying residential sectors including Sangoat and other areas located close to Mangla lake.
Some incidents of land sliding were also reported in certain sectors of The New City in Mirpur, housing the Mangla dam raising project affectees.
It reportedly caused land sliding in all housing sectors from Sector ‘A’ to ‘F’ main and link roads besides cracks in certain residential buildings in the semi-hilly New City, the areas’ community leader Shehzad Ahmed Lone, Secretary General Mirpur Real Estate Association said.
Talking to reporters here at the land sliding hit New City Roads on Monday, Lone said that vehicular traffic was also interrupted following frequent land sliding besides the intermittent rainfall in various sectors in this once the model city at the time of its emergence over a decades ago.
Shehzad Lone demanded of the AJK government to ensure the due useful and vibrant working conditions of the Mangla Dam Housing Authority MDHA, Mirpur, for ensuring normal life in the model city currently hit by the land sliding causing roads and streets blockages following heavy rainfall.
The laborers engaged in the construction work as well as the kiln owners were also considered to be the most affected community because of the heavy downpour. More rains of the ongoing spell is predicted to be continued till July 27 in the ground as well as the upper reaches of Azad Jammu
