ISLAMABAD: Amid the forecast of pre-monsoon rains in upper and central re-gions of the country from June 25 to 30, the National Disaster Man-agement Authority (NDMA) on Friday warned of urban flooding in major cities and directed provinces to ensure public safety during this period.
It said the showers could cause flash flooding in Punjab and trigger landslides in the hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.
A day earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said rain and wind-thundershower with isolated heavy falls were expected in the upper and central parts of the country under the influence of moist weather conditions.
The areas forecast to receive rain with occasional breaks include Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Swat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kurram, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Kohat, Mianwali, Sargodha, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Gujranwa-la, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh. Meanwhile, Sukkur, Jacobabad, and Larkana may receive rains and wind-thundershowers from June 27 to 28.
In a weather advisory issued today, the NDMA said the prevailing heatwave conditions were likely to subside under the new weather system.
“Heavy rainfall may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad, Ra-walpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, and Lahore from June 26-27,” it stated, add-ing that flash flooding could be triggered in the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and adjoining areas of north-east Balochistan on June 27.
Moreover, the authority added that duststorms/wind-thunderstorms and heavy falls might cause damage to loose structures such as electrical poles, so-lar panels, hoardings, trees, and under-construction buildings.
“In the light of the above, all provincial, Gilgit Baltistan, and State Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs, GBDMA, and SDMA respectively) and ICT Administration, National Highway Authority, National Highway and Motor-way Police, Frontier Works Organization, Rescue 1122, line de-partments, min-istries, and federal agencies are required to undertake measures as per respec-tive mandates,” it directed.
NDMA also instructed the PMD, Flood Forecasting Division (FFD), PDMAs, and PIDs to monitor water levels in rivers, streams, and urban drainage sys-tems continuously to detect any signs of rising water and initiate early re-sponse measures.
It urged authorities concerned to proactively maintain nullahs and stormwater drains to ensure their proper functioning and prevent blockages that might lead to flooding.
Furthermore, authorities were asked to advise the general public to seek shel-ter in safe areas such as sturdy buildings or underground structures during dust-wind and thunderstorms and avoid objects that pose a risk of falling and being struck by lightning.
The NDMA also underlined the need to advise farmers to take necessary miti-gative and precautionary measures to safeguard their crops, such as timely harvesting, safe storage, or any other precautions from adverse effects of dust-wind-thunderstorms and hailstorms.
“Take precautionary measures to forewarn travelers and visitors about risks posed by landslides, flash floods, and hill torrents in vulnerable loca-tions and provide guidance and assistance in case of emergencies through local admin-istration, police, and rescue services,” it added. –Agencies
