PMD warns of ‘above-normal’ rainfall this month

Army steps up relief effort in flood-hit Balochistan

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistani Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasted “above-normal” rainfall in most parts of the country in August, warning on Sunday that heavy downpour could trigger flash flooding in hilly areas of eastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

In its outlook for August, the PMD also warned of urban flooding in plain areas such as major cities of Sindh, Punjab and K-P. “Due to extreme hydro-meteorological events over catchments, riverine floods cannot be ruled out,” it added.

The report said that above-normal temperatures in high altitudes were likely to increase the rate of snowmelt in the northern areas of Pakistan, subsequently increasing the chances of base flow in the Upper Indus basin.

The north-eastern areas of Punjab, southern parts of Sindh, as well as coastal areas of Balochistan, were expected to receive above-normal rainfall, the report said. Sufficient water for irrigation and power sectors would be available in August, according to the forecast.

The K-P Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a separate statement that a low-level flood was recorded on Sunday in different rivers and Nallahs across the province. “There is a low level flood at Chashma, Attock, Tarbela, Jinnah Barrage in Indus River,” it said.

“The inflow of water in the fountain is 310,000, while the outflow is 257,900 cusecs. The inflow of water in Jinnah Barrage is 278,000 and the discharge is 275,000 cusecs. The flow at Attock Khairabad in the Indus river is 374,000 cubic meters,” the PDMA said.

“There is low-level flood in Kabul river at Warsak, while the water flow was recorded as 40,000 cusecs. There is a moderate flood at Nowshera in Kabul river and the water flow is 99,000 cusecs, while low-level flood at Bagdada and Risalpur in Nallah Kalpani of Mardan district.

Meanwhile, showers in most parts of Balochistan continued on Sunday as armed forces stepped up efforts to provide relief to flood-hit regions across Pakistan.

Rainfall was reported in Kalat, Chaman, Ziarat, Muslim Bagh, Sibi, Mastung, Dalbadin, Khuzdar, Lasbela and Barkhan in the last 24 hours, according to the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR).

In a statement, the military’s media wing said: “Troops are busy in rescue, relief efforts apart from providing medical care and opening up communication infrastructure.”

It also informed that all rivers across Pakistan are flowing normally, except the Indus which is at a low flood in Attock, Tarbela, Chashma and Guddu.

Low flood is also being experienced at Warsak, while River Kabul has been in medium flood at Nowshehra.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Mardan recorded a maximum rain of 133mm due to which constant efforts to dewater various places in the district are currently underway.

On the other hand, Mohmand recorded 85mm of rainfall, which has resulted in several flash floods being reported in the local nullahs of the district.

In southern Punjab, hilly torrents are flowing normally except in Mithawan, Kaha and Sanghar, which have a relatively increased flow.

The ISPR stated that local commanders visited Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan where relief items were distributed among flood affectees along with medical camps being established in both the districts.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, two mudslides were reported near Sikandarabad but the road has been opened for one-way traffic by FWO.

Misery in Balochistan

With more monsoon gusts bearing down on the country, the death toll rose to 127 across Balochistan on Saturday evening as rescue workers found seven more dead bodies in Noshki, Lasbela, Chaghi and Zhob districts.

However, the ISPR reported on Sunday that in Jhal Magsi, complete connectivity to the Gandhawa district has been restored. “Relief activities are underway with 115 patients being treated at an army medical camp,” said the statement.

In Khuzdar, the army is working on the resumption of connectivity of the M-8 Motorway and 145 affected people were treated in a medical camp established by CMH Khuzdar and Frontier Corps in Hafizabad.

In Naseerabad, ration and cooked food are being distributed to flood victims, while the field medical camp in Gandakha is treating various patients.

In Noshki, over 100 people were served cooked meals and the N-40 Highway that had collapsed at three different sites was repaired and traffic resumed.

In Lasbela, five field medical camps are providing medical care in Naka, Bela, Duddar, Hub and Gadani. The N-25 was opened after repair, while work on a few bridges is still underway.

The ISPR statement also mentioned that the general commanding officer at Gwadar visited Hub and Uthal to review the relief work.

Meanwhile, flash floods unleashed by heavy rains have destroyed date palms in Panjgur, Turbat and other parts Balochistan's Makran belt.

"We have suffered huge financial losses because of rains and floods," Muhammad Jan, a date farmer and dealer told The Express Tribune.

The harvest season was about to start when floods and heavy rainfall started in the area.

"There were good dates for production this year, but floods destroyed everything," the farmer said.

The dates destroyed by floods include moonzawati, the most popular dates of Panjgur; and rabyee, a delicate but delicious date of Panjgur as well.

The flash floods unleashed by torrential rains caused huge financial losses to growers and farmers in the province. As per the statistics shared by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), floods have destroyed standing crops on more than 200,000 acres of land in various parts of the province.

The financial losses of dates farmers in Makran are estimated at around Rs2 billion, Shabir Ahmed Mengal, the commissioner of Makran Division told Express Tribune.

The provincial government has ordered all concerned deputy commissioners of the flood-hit districts to assess the damages and submit a comprehensive report to the government.

Floods have also destroyed grapes orchards in Pishin, Killa Abdullah and other districts of the province.

It is worth mentioning here that by Saturday evening, the death toll had risen to 127 across the province, as more dead bodies were found in Noshki, Lasbela, Chaghi and Zhob districts. Around 10,000 houses were damaged in the rains, including 6,700 that were completely swept away.