As the first monsoon rains have lashed upper regions of the country, River Indus at Tarbela and River Kabul at Nowshera are in low flood. According to flood warning centre Lahore, 2,63,000 cusecs water is flowing in River Indus at Tarbela, and 48,700 cusecs in River Kabul at Nowshera.
It may be recalled that River Kabul played havoc in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and mighty Indus devastated vast tracks of crops in southern Punjab and Sindh province during unprecedented floods last year. Hundreds of thousands people still remain uprooted and unsettled along the river beds. FWC said that River Indus is in below low flood at Kalabagh, Chashma, Taunsa, Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri. In all about 4,50,000 cusecs water is flowing in the four live rivers of the country, Indus 2,63,000 cusecs, Kabul 48,700 cusecs, Jhelum 52,500 cusecs and river Chenab 85,900 cusecs. Widespread Monsoon Rain/Showers predicted in Punjab today.
Meanwhile Met Office has forecast widespread Monsoon Rain/Thundershowers with scattered heavy falls over upper and some central parts of Punjab (Sargodha, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Lahore divisions), Scattered rain/thundershowers with isolated heavy falls are also expected in Rawalpindi division in next 36 hrs. Heavy downpours may cause urban flooding in some of the said areas of upper Punjab during the period, Met Office warned.
It said monsoon has already onset over upper parts of Pakistan, and more monsoon currents of moderate to heavy intensity are penetrating in parts of Punjab that may produce widespread rain heavy at time during next 36 hrs (Wednesday/ Thursday). While scattered monsoon rain is also expected in rest of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, upper Sindh (Sukkur and Larkana divisions) and some north-eastern parts of Balochistan (Zhob, Sibbi and Nasirabad) during the period.