By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Heavy rainfall and thundershowers are expected in southern and northeastern Punjab and northeastern Sindh over the next 24 hours, potentially triggering urban flooding, the National Emergencies Operation Centre said on Friday.
Scattered rainfall is forecast in Punjab’s Potohar region, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sahiwal, and surrounding areas, with heavy rains and isolated heavy falls expected in Bahawalpur, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, and surrounding areas.
Northeastern Sindh is also expected to receive scattered rainfall with chances of heavy falls, particularly in Mithi, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Matiari, Jamshoro, Umarkot, Tharparkar, Khairpur, Thatta, Badin, Chhor, Padidan, Sujawal, Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Dadu, and surrounding areas.
The National Disaster Management Authority had warned of strong monsoon currents triggering heavy rains and flash floods in several regions, including Azad Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The NDMA issued instructions to relevant departments to take necessary precautions to mitigate the effects of flooding and extreme weather. Urban flooding and inundation are likely in the mentioned areas.
The NDMA advised the population to avoid floodwaters, secure loose items, and use alternative routes to avoid flood-prone areas. It also warned of open manholes and submerged obstacles.
The Met Office forecast more rain-windstorms and thundershowers with chances of scattered heavy falls and isolated very heavy falls across Pakistan over the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the death toll from rain-related disasters in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Punjab rose to 33 on Friday, as heavy monsoon rains and flash floods continued to batter parts of the country.
According to official data, 30 people died and 19 were injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the last four days, with 32 houses damaged or destroyed due to heavy rain, flash floods, and landslides. In Punjab, three people were killed in Lahore, which received its highest rainfall in over four decades on Thursday.
“Two men perished in a landslide incident in Kohat district [in KP], one died when his house collapsed in Buner district while another lost his life in a flashflood in Upper Chitral,” the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority said in its daily report. “Two children were killed when flashfloods passed through Upper Dir and Abottabad while two women sustained injuries when the roof of their homes collapsed in Mardan.”
The monsoon season has brought widespread flooding and landslides across South Asia, with neighboring India reporting at least 195 killed and almost 200 missing in one disaster.
Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change effects, with an estimated 200,000 people potentially affected by the ongoing monsoon season. In 2022, heavy rains triggered flash floods that killed over 1,700 people, inflicted $30 billion in losses, and affected 30 million people.
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