ISLAMABAD: Heavy monsoon rains flooded parts of Pakistan’s twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Tuesday, overflowing a drain, inundating roads and basements and prompting authorities to close educational institutions as water in Rawalpindi’s Nullah Lai rose to dangerous levels.

Authorities deployed dewatering pumps and emergency teams in affected areas, while traffic police warned motorists of waterlogged roads. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) recast heavy rainfall capable of causing urban flooding and swelling streams and nullahs in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Islamabad’s district administration said 150 millimeters of rain had been recorded in the capital’s E-11 sector, where a drain overflowed and water entered roads and some basements.

“The drain in E-11 has filled up due to the rain, with water entering the road and some basements as well,” the district administration said in a statement, adding the affected basements had already been sealed.

“The deputy commissioner is present at the site and drainage operations are underway,” it added. “Additional dewatering pumps have been deployed and sanitation staff are carrying out operations at the site.”

The administration said traffic flow was being maintained on major arteries. Rescue operations were also underway after a protective wall collapsed in the D-12/2 sector, though authorities said there was no loss of life.

The Islamabad Traffic Police separately advised motorists to allow extra travel time and drive slowly as standing water on roads could disrupt traffic.

“Citizens should leave with extra time for their journeys,” police said. “During rain, keep the speed of cars and motorcycles low and maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead.”

In neighboring Rawalpindi, authorities announced a holiday for educational institutions in the city as the water level in Nullah Lai continued to rise.

“In view of the heavy rainfall in Rawalpindi city and the continuous rise in the water level of Nullah Lai, a public holiday is being declared for all educational institutions within the limits of Rawalpindi city,” the district administration said in a social media post.

An official notification issued by the deputy commissioner’s office separately declared Tuesday a local holiday in Rawalpindi district, saying emergency departments, institutions and authorities would remain operational.

The PMD had warned on Monday night that moderate to heavy rainfall could inundate low-lying areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, as well as several other cities, on Monday night and Tuesday.

The latest spell comes during a deadly monsoon season. National Disaster Management Authority data for June 26-Aug. 31 showed 175 people had died and 500 had been injured nationwide in rain-related incidents. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded the highest death toll at 70, followed by Punjab with 61 and Sindh with 17.

House collapses accounted for 48.6 percent of the deaths, according to the NDMA data, while drowning and flash floods were also among the leading causes.

The PMD expects scattered to widespread rainfall in the upper catchments of major rivers, upper Punjab and upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through Sept. 5, with flows in major rivers and associated nullahs expected to increase.