More rains predicted

Meteorological department Lahore centre here on Monday predicted that in the next 24 hours rainfall is likely to occur at many places over Lahore, Gujranwala and Rawalpindi regions and upper catchments of River Ravi, Jhelum and Chenab along with north and north eastern Punjab.
The officials of the department also said that scattered and isolated rain may also occur over the upper catchments of Indus, NWFP and lower Sindh. According to them, in the last 24 hours, heavy rainfall recorded in Lahore, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Murree, Mangla, Tarbela, Muzaffarabad, Sialkot and Jassar. Moreover, light rain also recorded at isolated places in northern Punjab.
The flood forecasting centre Lahore informed the newsmen that River Chenab at Marala, Khanki and Qadirabad was in low flood while all the other rivers were flowing below low flood level. Water level at Tarbela Dam was recorded 1,488.30 feet and at Mangla Dam this level was 1,187 feet.
Meanwhile, keeping in view the expected flood in monsoon season, the government has divided all the districts into six co-ordination groups for providing timely relief to the people and to safeguard life and property of the victims. The DCOs have been directed to keep close liaison with the corps headquarters of Pak Army.
Punjab Revenue and Relief Minister Gul Hameed Khan Rokhari disclosed this while presiding over a meeting. The minister said that on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the provincial government has completed pre-flood arrangements and all the concerned departments, agencies and Pak Army have been put on alert in this regard.
For providing relief and evacuation of the people from the flooded areas, DCOs of Lahore, Sheikhupura and Kasur would keep close liaison and co-ordination with 4-Corps Lahore. Similarly DCOs of Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Khushab, Mianwali, Chakwal and Jhelum would co-ordinate with I-Corps Mangla, Multan, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Okara, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh with II-Corps Multan, and Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin with 30-Crops Gujranwala. Likewise, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnager, Rahim Yar Khan, Lodhran, Pakpattan and Vehari will co-ordinate with 31-Crops HQ Bahawalpur while Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Attock and Azad Kashmir will keep liaison with 10-Crops HQ Rawalpindi for executing emergency and relief activities. These steps have been taken to ensure foolproof arrangements to meet any emergency in flood season, the minister concluded.