Over 79 people, including 23 children and 13 women, died in recent spate of monsoon started from June 20, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) data released here on Thursday. The data covers the tally from June 20, 2018 to August 16. Most casualties in rain-related incidents were reported from Punjab where the death toll has reached 31, followed by Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 19, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), 18, and tribal districts of KP, 8, Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), two, and Balochistan, one. According to the NDMA, the flooding has also injured 152 people across the country, including 71 in Punjab, 37 in KPK, 30 in AJK, one in GB and 13 in tribal districts of KP.
Moreover, 289 houses were also damaged due to floods, of which the highest number was reported from KPK i.e. 161; followed by G-B, 57; AJK, 52, tribal districts of KPK, 11 and Punjab, eight.
The NDMA has reported one death, one injured and two houses damaged in AJ&K on Tuesday and Wednesday last. The authority has also reported roads blockage in district Gazier of G-B and district Abbottabad of KPK due to landslides.
Meanwhile, more monsoon showers are expected from August 17-18 across the country including some parts of Sindh, KP, Punjab and Balochistan as well as in Kashmir and northern areas, Pakistan Meteorological Department spokesperson Khalid Malik told Business Recorder. He said in coming days there would also be a drop in humidity level in the country, which had caused uneasiness and discomfort among people.
According to NDMA, River Indus at Kalabagh & Chashma and River Kabul at Nowshera are in low flood level and all other major rivers are in the state of their normal flows.
Significant rainfall was reported on Wednesday from Toba Tek Singh, 40 mm, and Muzaffarabad, 39 mm. The PMD forecast for next 24 hours predicted: "Scattered thunderstorm / rain with moderate falls at isolated places are expected over the upper catchments of the Rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej along with Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Bannu, Kohat, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala Divisions and Southeast Sindh. Isolated thunderstorm / rain is expected over D I Khan, Lahore, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur & DG Khan divisions along with Northeast Balochistan and Upper Catchment of River Indus."
According to the NDMA, from Friday (today) to Saturday, scattered thunderstorm/rain with isolated moderate falls are expected over Southeast Sindh. Scattered thunderstorm / rain with moderate falls are expected over the Upper Catchments of Rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej along with Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala divisions. Isolated thunderstorm /rain is expected over Malakand, Hazara, Kohat, DI Khan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and DG Khan divisions along with Northeast Balochistan.