Monsoon rains begin amid flooding alert

Islamabad : The July-September monsoon rains began across the country, including Islamabad and Rawalpindi, amid flooding alert by the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

The wet spell, which is likely to continue until next Tuesday, began in the morning and continued intermittently afterward with gusty winds lowering the increasing temperatures.

According to the PMD, the monsoon rains, which are likely to fall in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until Tuesday, will provide the residents with relief from hot and humid weather.

It warned that the heavy downpour could generate flash floods in nullahs and streams of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and flooding in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Lahore over the weekend.

“The possibility of landslides cannot be ruled out in the vulnerable areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the period,” it said.

The PMD said there was a high likelihood of around 20 per cent more rain than normal falling in Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the months of August and September.

It added that the monsoon season would last until September.

Complaining of hot weather, the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi stepped out to enjoy the pleasant weather.