Punjab braces for back-to-back rain spells

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has warned that a fresh spell of heavy rains in from August 23 may raise river water levels and trigger urban flooding in parts of upper and South Punjab.

According to an alert, rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej, along with their tributaries, may witness increased flows.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said the ongoing seventh spell of monsoon rains of the year will continue until August 23, after which another system is expected to enter the province.

He said the ongoing spell has not impacted Punjab as severely as initially expected, while Balochistan and Sindh have borne the brunt of recent downpours.

Kathia said the water flow in the Ravi at Shahdara had risen two days ago from 22,000 to 40,000 cusecs, but had since returned to normal levels. He explained that India's Thein Dam on the Ravi still had about 60 per cent storage capacity available, meaning there is no imminent flood threat from this river.

However, the Pong Dam on the Beas and the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej are both full, resulting in high inflows. Over the past 15 days, around 50,000 cusecs of water has been passing through Ganda Singh Wala, where a medium-level flood threat persists.

The Indus River is expected to remain in low-to-medium flood conditions, prompting evacuations from vulnerable areas. Addressing the risk of urban flooding in Lahore, the PDMA chief said the third monsoon spell, which had begun on July 16, had bene the most intense so far, bringing 150 millimetres of rainfall in the city along with flash floods in Chakwal, Jhelum and Nullah Leh. Despite this, water drainage in Lahore was managed within a few hours.

He said 24 underground water storage tanks had been constructed in Lahore, with six under development in other urban centres.

Over the next year, an additional 64 such facilities will be built across various districts to mitigate risks of urban flooding.