PDMA issues high-level flood warning due to potential water release from India,
Islamabad(M.Mudassar Iqbal)_As torrential monsoon rains grip Pakistan, at least 50 people — including eight children — have died in various rain-related incidents, officials said Friday. Every year, between June and September, monsoon rains bring rains to South Asia, accounting for 70% to 80% of the region’s annual rainfall.
The summer monsoon brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall between June and September every year. It is vital for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security in a region of around two billion people – but it also brings landslides and floods. “Fifty deaths have been reported in different rain-related incidents all over Pakistan since the start of the monsoon on June 25,” a national disaster management official told AFP, adding that 87 people were injured during this period.
The majority of the deaths were in eastern Punjab province, and were mainly due to electrocution and building collapses, official data showed. In northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the bodies of eight children were recovered from a landslide in the Shangla district on Thursday, according to the emergency service Rescue 1122’s spokesman Bilal Ahmed Faizi. He said rescuers were still searching for other children trapped in the debris. Officials in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, said it had received record-breaking rainfall on Wednesday, turning roads into rivers and leaving almost 35 percent without electricity and water this week. The Meteorological Department has predicted more heavy rainfall nationwide in the days ahead and warned of potential flooding in the catchment areas of Punjab’s major rivers.
The province’s disaster management authority said Friday it is working to relocate people living along the waterways. Scientists have said climate change is making seasonal rains heavier and more unpredictable. Last summer, unprecedented monsoon rains put a third of Pakistan under water, damaging two million homes and killing more than 1,700 people. Storms killed at least 27 people, including eight children, in the country’s northwest early last month. Pakistan, which has the world’s fifth largest population, is responsible for less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to officials. However, it is one of the most vulnerable nations to the extreme weather caused by global warming.
Earlier,
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued a high-level flood warning on Friday, citing the likelihood of water release from India.= The warning specifically pertains to the Chenab River, where the anticipated water release may lead to very high or high-level floods.
Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and implementing necessary measures to mitigate the potential impact of the anticipated floods. Residents in the affected areas are urged to stay updated with the latest weather advisories and follow instructions from local authorities to ensure their safety during this critical period.
Rescue-1122 put on high alert
The emergency service, Rescue-1122, which is fully equipped to cope with the possible flood in Nullah Lai, has been put on high alert to cope with emergencies. According to a Rescue-1122 spokesman, the rescuers deployed in low-lying areas, particularly in Katarian, Gawalmandi, Sowan and other low-lying areas would remain on high alert around the clock to provide timely emergency response, medical treatment and transportation facilities to possible flood victims. The Rescue-1122 has also requested people not to stand on the banks in low-lying areas along Nullah Lai during the flood and follow instructions given by the departments concerned. However, the administration had also completed all the arrangements to cope with the flood situation, he added.
According to a district administration spokesman, Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) on the directives of Commissioner Rawalpindi Division, Liaquat Ali Chatha had completed the cleanliness work of Nullah Lai. The small drains were also cleaned so that water in the Nullah Lai during Monsoon rains could flow smoothly.
WASA Rawalpindi spokesman informed that the Agency on the directives of the Punjab government had completed a special campaign to clean sewerage lines and used winch machines to fully clean the lines. Special arrangements were made following the Meteorological Department’s warning of above normal rains during Monsoon, he said and informed that WASA had kicked off an emergency operation to clean sewerage lines with the help of modern winch machines which were introduced to fully clean the sewer lines.
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