PMD forecasts heavy rains in parts of three provinces

Sindh govt declares 23 districts calamity-hit; Met office predicts flooding in Punjab cities

KARACHI/LAHORE:

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued an alert forecasting heavy rains in three provinces starting from Tuesday, with the Sindh government declaring 23 districts as calamity-hit and Punjab predicting flooding in low-lying areas in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Gujranwala.

The port city is poised to receive a downpour as heavy rain bands moved towards the city beginning Tuesday noon from Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas.

Provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said at least 239 people were killed and over 700 injured across the province and that 23 districts of the province had been declared calamity-hit due to the extraordinary monsoon rains followed by devastating floods.

He added that in the Hyderabad Division, 31,684 houses were partially destroyed, 25,812 completely destroyed and 830 cattle lost.
Meanwhile, in Shaheed Benazirabad Division, 54,962 houses were partially destroyed, 23,000 completely destroyed and 696 cattle lost.

Furthermore, four deaths had also been reported in the last 24 hours in the Hyderabad Division due to rains.

The unrelenting spell of the monsoon which started on August 17 has flooded large parts of Sindh.

Further, the northern and eastern suburbs of Karachi had already been experiencing a drizzle since Tuesday afternoon.
The PMD’s weather update said, “A well-marked low pressure area (LPA) located over east Rajasthan (India) is likely to move northwest direction and approach Sindh tonight.”

As per the PMD synopsis, “Under the influence of this weather system, more rain-wind/thundershower (with scattered heavy to very heavy falls) is expected in Sindh, south Punjab, south and northeastern Balochistan from August 23 to 26 with occasional gaps.”
Meanwhile, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab Director General Faisal Farid alerted the line departments to remain vigilant in the wake of expected rains from August 24 to 26 in various areas of the province.

In a statement, he said that the Met office predicted rains in various areas while low-lying areas in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Gujranwala could be flooded.

“There is also a risk of flooding in local rivers and landslides in Murree due to heavy rains,” he said, urging all relevant district administrations to remain alert to deal with any untoward situation.

The DG said that the water level and flow in the Ravi and Chenab rivers were normal while there was a low-level flood in the Indus River at Taunsa, however, there was a risk of high-level flood at the place, for which necessary arrangements had been completed.

Further, the aerial operation has been started to provide relief to the flood-affected areas of Koh-e-Sulaiman mountain range, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Rajanpur districts.

Pakistan Army has provided two helicopters for Koh-e-Sulaiman, DG Khan and Rajanpur on the district administration’s request.
Commissioner Usman Anwar said that tents, rations and other aid were being provided in Koh-e-Sulaiman through the tribal force – Border Military Police and Baloch Levies.

“The flow of aid has not stopped, but the relief operation will speed up by the helicopters and it will be possible to reach those areas where land route is inundated.”

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi directed the relevant departments to take all possible measures to deal with floods along the rivers and mountains in Rajanpur, Taunsa Sharif, and DG Khan.