City receives heavy to moderate rain

LAHORE : The City received heavy to moderate rain on Saturday while Met office predicted similar weather conditions for the next 24 hours.

Met officials warned that heavy rains may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Okara while it may trigger landslides in the vulnerable areas of Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They warned that heavy falls may cause flash flood in hill torrents and local nullahs of Kashmir, DG Khan, Kohlu, Sibbi, Barkhan, Zhob, Loralai, Qilla Saifullah and Musa Khel during the period. Met officials said moist currents from Bay of Bengal were penetrating most parts of the country while a westerly wave was also affecting upper and central parts of the country.

Saturday’s highest maximum temperature was recorded at Turbat where mercury reached 44°C while in Lahore it was 27°C and minimum was 23°C.

More rainfall expected in various cities: PDMA

Senior Member Board of Revenue/Relief Commissioner Punjab Nabeel Javed visited the Provincial Control Room of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to assess the monitoring of the potential flood situation.

PDMA Director General Imran Qureshi and other officials briefed him about the preparations to address the recent rainfall and the potential risk of floods. PDMA DG highlighted that more rainfall is expected in various cities of Punjab and currently the water flow in the rivers is within normal limits. He cautioned that in the event of water release by India, there is a possibility of floods in the rivulets connected to the Ravi and Chenab rivers.

Additionally, due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas, watercourses may also face the risk of flooding. The DG emphasised that if the water flow reaches 600,000 cusecs, 62 locations in the Gujranwala division may be affected by floods.

Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed stressed the importance of effective monitoring from the Provincial Control Room and reiterated the need to constantly update line departments. He emphasised the vigilance required in monitoring the flow of water in rivers and canals and issued instructions to deputy commissioners and others across the province, emphasizing the need to ensure proper drainage of water in the field during rainfall.