Harsher monsoon season likely to start from next week

Islamabad

Heralding the rainy season, which is likely to be harsher this year, the monsoon system will reach the country next week, forecasts the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

“There is a greater likelihood of the monsoon season formally setting in next week, Monday to be exact,” Muhammad Farooq Dar, the PMD forecasting officer, told ‘The News’ on Wednesday.

The weatherman denied the monsoon season would begin prematurely.

“We’ll have the monsoon season at the same time it usually happens. The onset of the rainy season occurs a week before or after July so there is nothing unusual about it this time around,” he said.

Another PMD official alerted the people across the country, including Islooites, to the possibility of the imminent monsoon season being wetter than normal.

“In fact, the El Nino weather phenomenon has weakened to favour the La Nina phenomenon, the cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, to develop during the summer season and thus, bringing heavier rainfall to the region. The prevailing oceanic and atmospheric conditions are giving indications of 10-20 per cent ‘above normal’ monsoon rains in the country from July through September,” he said.

The meteorologist said more than average rainfall was expected to fall in Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and northeast Balochistan.

While forecasting some ‘extreme rainfall events’ in the catchment areas of major rivers and other parts of the country, which may cause floods, he said there was a high likelihood of heavy downpour generating flash floods along the Suleman Range.

He warned heavy rains could flood big cities as well.

The PMD official also feared some strong incursions of monsoon currents coupled with high temperatures could trigger glacial lake outburst floods, landslides and flash floods in upper parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The experts feared a large-scale damage to public life and property in the country due to the imminent harsh monsoon season but insisted better disaster management on part of the relevant authorities could minimise losses.

At the same time, they urged the people, especially those living either in hills and mountains or close to rivers or nullahs, first to fortify houses, maintain drains and store up emergency supplies if relocation to safer places is not possible for one reason or the other, and then to work up resilience to efficiently manage the consequences of the natural calamity.