Lahore’s monsoon rains choke traffic as unchecked development erodes green spaces, flooding city streets.

Heavy monsoon rain has choked traffic around Lahore, showing how the city has changed. Developers have built over gardens and other green areas, making flooding and pollution worse. The Express Tribune notes that rainwater projects have not been completed. The loss of green space has turned the monsoon from a blessing to a source of chaos. Historically, painters like Nihal Chand and Nainsukh depicted monsoon scenes with romance and devotion. Their artwork showed rain as a time for lovers and a harmony between people and nature. Today, Lahore’s monsoon feels different. The city has turned many avenues into concrete. The Mall, Canal Bank, and Lawrence Gardens have been affected. This change has made Lahore more vulnerable to floods and pollution, according to the Tribune. The author calls for accountability, urging Lahore to demand real changes before more of the city’s natural beauty disappears. This opinion piece was published on The Express Tribune on August 7, 2026.