ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s disaster management authorities on Sunday warned of a fresh spell of monsoon rains in various parts of the country from September 16 to 19, raising concerns of further flooding as rivers remain swollen and relief operations continue in inundated areas.
Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said the 11th spell of seasonal rains is forecast from September 16 to 19, with showers expected in the upper catchments of major rivers.
“All commissioners and deputy commissioners have been instructed to remain on alert,” a PDMA spokesperson said, cautioning of possible flooding in streams and nullahs.
In northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the disaster management authority issued a similar advisory, warning of intermittent rainfall and thunderstorms in districts including Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Peshawar and Kohat.
The authority warned that heavy rains could trigger flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas, while weak housing structures, electric poles and billboards faced risk of damage. Residents were urged to avoid unnecessary travel, and tourists advised to stay away from landslide-prone valleys.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) stated that moderate monsoon winds from the Arabian Sea were moving into northern Pakistan, likely bringing rain to Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad and parts of Punjab from September 15 to 19.
Meanwhile, Sindh was expected to remain mostly hot and dry, with only isolated coastal showers, while Balochistan would see humid, partly cloudy conditions.
The warnings come as southern Sindh province remained on edge over high water levels at Guddu Barrage, with authorities recording an upstream flow of 612,269 cusecs on Sunday.
Provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said Guddu was experiencing a high-level flood, while Sukkur Barrage faced a medium-level flood.
He added that more than 163,000 people had been relocated to safer areas, with nearly 470 in relief camps. Over 84,000 patients had been treated at 177 mobile and fixed health sites, while some 438,000 livestock had been shifted to higher ground.
In Punjab, PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said river levels were beginning to recede, with water declining at control points along the Chenab and Ravi. At Panjnad, where the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej converge before joining the Indus, flows were measured at 402,919 cusecs.
According to PDMA figures, since late August rains and floods in Punjab have killed 104 people and affected more than 4.5 million residents, inundating over 4,700 settlements.
Nationwide, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said the death toll from rain-related incidents since 26 June had risen to 972, with northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounting for more than half the fatalities.
