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ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab warned on Tuesday that several major rivers were in flood as relentless rains continued to batter the country where nearly 800 people have been killed since the monsoon season began in late June.

The most devastating spell of the monsoon began on Aug. 15 and has killed at least 485 people in just 10 days. Since the start of the season on June 26, official figures show 798 deaths, underscoring the scale of the disaster in a country ranked among the most climate-vulnerable in the world.

Officials say the ongoing monsoon spell is expected to last until at least September 10. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned the rains could rival the scale of the catastrophic floods of 2022, which killed more than 1,700 people and caused over $30 billion in damage.

“Due to rains, water levels in Punjab’s rivers are continuously rising,” Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a statement, noting flood levels in the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers.

“There is an extremely high flood at Ganda Singh Wala on the Sutlej River, where the inflow is 195,000 cusecs,” PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said, adding that Sulemanki on the Sutlej was at medium flood with an inflow of 104,000 cusecs and an outflow of 98,000 cusecs.

At Jassar on the Ravi, inflow had reached 90,000 cusecs, creating a medium-level flood, while Shahdara recorded a low-level flood with 40,000 cusecs, according to PDMA figures. At Balloki and Sidhnai barrages further downstream, inflows stood at 27,000 and 12,000 cusecs, respectively.

The PDMA said flood conditions were also present in major hill torrents in Dera Ghazi Khan, while flash flooding was reported in several nullahs.

“Citizens living in riverbeds should immediately move to safe places,” Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed urged. “Flood relief camps have been established in affected areas and all basic facilities and medicines will be provided.”

Javed also warned of landslides in Murree, Galiyat, and other northern hill areas, advising residents to avoid unnecessary travel. 

“People should refrain from recreational activities around rivers, canals and streams. Children must be kept away from rivers and nullahs,” he said.

Since the monsoon season started on June 26, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has reported 479 deaths, followed by Punjab with 165, Sindh 54, Gilgit-Baltistan 45, Balochistan 24, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 23 and the capital, Islamabad, eight, according to official figures.

Annual monsoon rains are crucial for Pakistan’s agriculture and water supply but in recent years have also unleashed devastation, intensified by shifting climate patterns.

Despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan ranks among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. In recent years it has endured increasingly erratic weather, including droughts, heatwaves and record-breaking rains that have caused widespread loss of life and damage to property.

Experts warn that without urgent adaptation and mitigation measures, the human and economic toll of climate change in Pakistan will only deepen in the years ahead.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan looks forward to a visit by United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the outgoing UAE envoy on Monday.

The prime minister said this during a farewell meeting with UAE’s Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al-Zaabi at the former’s office in Islamabad. The meeting was attended by Pakistani cabinet members and foreign ministry officials.

PM Sharif congratulated the UAE ambassador on the successful completion of his tenure in Pakistan and thanked him for his contribution toward the strengthening of Pakistan-UAE relations, according to Sharif’s office.

He lauded the leadership of President Sheikh Mohamed in forging closer Pakistan-UAE ties that were reflective of the longstanding, deep-rooted, fraternal bonds between the two countries. 

“The Prime Minister said that he looked forward to the official visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Pakistan at an early date that would lend further impetus to the relationship between the two sides,” Sharif’s office said.

The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment, valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE foreign ministry. It is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates who send back more than $5 billion in remittances to the South Asian country annually.

In July, Pakistan and the UAE agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in higher education and human resource development, while Pakistan’s state-run National Logistics Cell (NLC) and Dubai-based global logistics firm DP World this month completed their first commercial cargo delivery from the Gulf nation to Tajikistan via Karachi, Pakistani state media reported on Monday, marking a milestone in Pakistan’s bid to become a regional trade hub.

During Monday’s meeting, Sharif expressed his satisfaction over the steps taken by the two sides in recent months to further strengthen these ties, according to his office.

The UAE ambassador thanked the prime minister for receiving him for a farewell call and said he was “deeply appreciative” of the support he had received throughout his nine-year stay in Pakistan.

“While acknowledging the special bonds of friendship between the leadership and the people of both countries, he said that he would continue to work for stronger Pakistan-UAE ties in the future,” Sharif’s office said.