The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab has issued a warning about impending torrential rains expected to hit the province in the coming days.
Additionally, officials from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) have cautioned that an early onset monsoon, anticipated to bring above-average rainfall, poses a dual threat: potential damage to the agriculture sector and the risk of urban flooding.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia highlighted the flood risk in hilly areas of Dera Ghazi Khan and advised residents along rivers to take special precautions. With Muharram gatherings scheduled nationwide in the next few days, PDMA officials urged organizers to implement protective measures due to the severe weather conditions.
Precautionary measures recommended by PDMA include maintaining distance from electric poles and wires, avoiding gatherings on unstable roofs, and minimizing crossings over rivers and streams during this period.
Furthermore, PDMA has instructed rescue departments to maintain high vigilance, particularly on days forecasted for heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, NDMA’s National Emergencies Operations Centre (NEOC) has projected specific flood and landslide risks in various regions: cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala in Punjab are prone to urban flooding; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) areas such as Peshawar, Swat, Abbottabad, Dir, Mansehra, and Kohistan face flash floods and landslides.
In Sindh, cities like Sukkur, Larkana, Karachi, and Hyderabad are expected to experience heavy rains and potential flooding. Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) is susceptible to landslides and disruptions from heavy rainfall, while Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) faces risks like landslides, flash floods, and infrastructure damage, particularly in Muzaffarabad.
A senior NDMA official emphasized to the Associated Press of Pakistan the detrimental impacts of excessive rainfall on agriculture, including crop inundation and loss, especially for water-sensitive crops such as wheat and cotton. The official also noted concerns about soil erosion, reduced fertility, and adverse effects on future crop yields due to heavy rains washing away topsoil.
Climate change has exacerbated monsoon patterns over the past two decades, resulting in more erratic and extreme rainfall events, alongside increased occurrences of severe droughts and floods.