ISLAMABAD: Following the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD’s) anticipation of significant rainfall in various parts of the country until July 9 which may cause floods, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued an advisory directing the relevant departments to take all necessary measures to tackle any situation.

According to PMD, torrential rains may cause flash floods in local nullahs/streams of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Manshera, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Dir, Swat, Kashmir and hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan from 5th to 7th July. Heavy rains may cause urban flooding in Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Narowal, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Peshawar from 5th to 7th July. Landslides may disrupt roads at the vulnerable points of hilly areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Murree, Galliyat, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).

In line with the PMD’s forecast, the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) of NDMA issued an advisory to Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMA), State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and G-B Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) to alert all the departments and mobilise all the resources to deal with any untoward incident.

The anticipated moderate to heavy rainfall may cause urban flooding and is likely to induce rapid rises in water levels in nullahs, triggering flash flooding across the northern regions of Punjab (Sialkot), KPK, and AJK. Additionally, this precipitation is expected to result in high discharge levels within the eastern rivers. Sutlej River is expected to experience a low flood stage with approximately 50,000 cusecs of water while Kabul River is predicted to reach a medium flood level with approximately 95,000 cusecs.

These conditions are expected between until 9th July 2024. Extreme rainfall may also lead to additional releases from Indian reservoirs, including Salal, Bhakra, and Pong Dam, which could directly impact the Chenab and Sutlej rivers.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024