ISLAMABAD: Rains in upper parts of Pakistan have swelled rivers in the eastern Punjab province, disaster authorities said on Friday, amid a high flood situation at Trimmu and Panjnad headworks.
Monsoon floods have killed 46 people, displaced 1.8 million and inundated 1.3 million acres of agricultural land in the country’s breadbasket province of Punjab over the last two weeks, with another 3.9 million people affected, official data shows.
Following rains in upper parts, the water flow in Chenab remains 115,000 cusecs at Marala, 205,000 at Khanki and 266,000 cusecs at Qadirabad. The river flow is the highest at Trimmu at 331,000 cusecs, according to the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
Ravi is flowing at 73,000 cusecs at Jassar, 112,000 at Shahdara, 122,000 at Sidhnai and 144,000 cusecs at Balloki. The flow in Sutlej is recorded at 319,000 cusecs at Ganda Singh Wala in Kasur, 142,000 at Sulemanki and 310,000 cusecs at the Panjnad headworks in Bahawalpur.
“Monsoon rains are predicted in most districts of Punjab till September 9,” the PDMA said on Friday. “Citizens should take precautionary measures and never go near rivers for recreational activities. Refrain from fishing and other activities in rivers.”
Monsoon season brings Pakistan up to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, but increasingly erratic and extreme weather patterns are turning the annual rains, which are vital for agriculture, food security and the livelihoods of millions of farmers, into a destructive force.
Rains, floods, landslides and similar incidents have killed at least 884 people nationwide since June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The disaster has revived memories of the 2022 deluges, when a third of the country was submerged, over 1,700 people were killed and losses exceeded $35 billion.
The floods, which have been moving downstream from Punjab, have prompted authorities in the southern Sindh province to evacuate people to safety.
On Thursday evening, the NDMA said Sindh’s northern districts of Sukkur, Ghotki, Larkana, Khairpur, Dadu and Jacobabad were at risk, while southern districts of Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Karachi, Hyderabad and Jamshoro could see heavy downpours in the coming days.
“Your lives are precious, and no unnecessary risk should be taken in the face of natural calamities,” First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari told communities, while inspecting protective structures and relief camps during a preparedness visit to embankments near Nawabshah.
“Effective coordination between departments, close monitoring, and advanced planning are essential if we are to manage this challenge successfully.”
Pakistan, which ranks among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, has experienced increasingly erratic, frequent weather events, including heat waves, untimely rains, storms, cyclones and droughts, in recent years, which scientists have blamed on human-driven climate change.
In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian country.
