Thieves steal PMD's flood warning system

In a brazen act of theft, burglars broke into the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) automatic water level gauging station in Rawalpindi, stealing essential equipment used for monitoring floods.

According to media reports, the incident occurred near the Katarian bridge after midnight on July 18, with the last automatic SMS received at 12:47am.

According to the FIR lodged by Usman Shahzad, an electronic engineer at the PMD, the stolen items included batteries, a full assembly for float sensors, Arduino boards, GSM boards with mobile SIMS, a 12-volt solar plate, copper cable, and a steel box.

The automatic water level gauging system plays a crucial role in providing real-time water level updates of Leh Nullah to officials, enabling them to take prompt action to mitigate flood damages.

The PMD relies on this system to provide critical data for flood forecasting and warning.

Following the theft, the relevant authorities have started installing new equipment, with the system expected to be fully restored by Tuesday. In the meantime, the monitoring of the drain will continue using a manual gauge.

The theft has raised concerns about the security of essential infrastructure used for disaster management and the impact on flood preparedness in the region.