Low-lying areas in Pindi inundated as twin cities receive heavy rain.

ISLAMABAD -- Heavy rain lashed the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad inundating low-lyingareas on Saturday.

An official said there was no significant impact of the rain on the water situation in Rawal Lake because most of the downpour was not over its catchment area which is from Murree to Bhara Kahu. The water level at Leh Nullah rose to 6.5 feet at Gawalmandi bridge and to eight feet at the Kattarian bridge. Officials termed it a pre-alert situation for flooding in the nullah as the dangerous level starts at 22 feet and spillover from 30 feet.

In the cityareas, the local administration and the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) officials monitored the situation in the nullah as per the standard operating procedure (SOP).

The Meteorological Department recorded 56 millimetres of rain at Shamsabad, 22mm at Chaklala in Rawalpindi, four mm at Zero Point and 22mm at Bokra, 13mm at Golra, three mm at Saidpur and Islamabad International Airport in Islamabad. It forecast more raintill the next 48 hours.

The Met Office said moist currents from Arabian Sea were penetrating into the central and upper parts of the country.

A westerly wave was also affecting upper parts of the country.

It said partly cloudy weather with rain-wind/thundershower was expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and northeast Balochistan. Heavy fall and hailstorm may also occur at few places during the period. Hot and dry weather is likely in other parts of the country.

Meanwhile, it was another day to expose the performance of the Rawalpindi and Chaklalacantonmentboards and their preparedness to tackle a flood-like situation.

In Lalazar and other areas of the cantonment, the civic bodies failed to clear nullahs from solid waste. The closure of drains in manyareascreated a slushy mess.

An official said the Chaklala Cantonment Board failed to remove encroachments and clean nullahs and drains in the last two months even though there was warning from the Met Office of above normal rain.

In Lalazar, the district administration sent teams from Wasa and other civic bodies to drain out the standing rainwater. 'Though four vehicles were trapped in the rainwater, the situation was under control,' said Rescue 1122.

Wasa Managing Director Mohammad Tanveer visited the area and inspected the drainage work on Murree Road, Sadiqabad, Nadeem Colony and Committee Chowk underpass.

He said after the prediction of heavyrains, the agency had imposed a rain...