KARACHI/ISLAMABAD:
Monsoon rains pummelled the country, with flash floods sweeping villages in their way in the north, damaging key highways and railway tracks in the south and southwest, and raising the overall death toll from the natural calamity to 209 since July 1, officials said on Monday.
Fourteen people have died across Punjab in the past 24 hours, said Irfan Ali Kathia, the head of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). The overall death toll in the province has risen to 84 from July 1 till date.
The latest spell of rain, which started around the weekend, has pummelled Sindh and Balochistan. According to the PDMA Balochistan, 19 people died, 11 were injured and 433 houses were fully or partially destroyed in 16 districts of Balochistan from July 1 till August 17.
In Sindh, three people including a mother and son were killed in a heavy downpour in Jacobabad on Monday that inundated several villages. A 65-year-old woman and her 30-year-old son died in a roof collapse incident in Dudapur area of Garhi Khairu Tehsil. One person also died in a wall collapse in Dodapur.
A day ago, heavy rain flooded the streets of Sukkur and surrounding areas. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that Sukkur and nearby Rohri received 134 millimetres of rain. However, in a video statement, Sukkur Mayor Barrister Arsalan Islam Sheikh disputed the rain gauge.
Sheikh had claimed that the city received 290mm of rain in a single day, breaking a 77-year record. Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani supported the district administration’s claim, stating that 281mm of rain was recorded in Sukkur with five spells of torrential rain observed.
The Sindh PDMA shared data of two spells of rains – from August 16 to 17 and August 17 to 18. It said that a total of 125mm rainfall was recorded in Pano Aqil tehsil; 193mm in Rohri tehsil; 115mm in Salehpat tehsil and 263mm in Sukkur city.
In neighbouring Khairpur district, the PDMA stated, 27mm was recorded in Faizganj tehsil. Similarly, 17mm was recorded in Gambit tehsil; 106mm in Khairpur tehsil; 105mm in Kingri tehsil; 40mm in Kot Diji tehsil; 30mm in Nara tehsil; 45mm in Subho Dero tehsil and 34mm in Thari Mirwah tehsil.
The rain spell was less severe further north, the Sindh PDMA data showed. It said that 10mm was recorded In Daharki tehsil; 20mm in Ghotki tehsil; 45mm in Khangarh tehsil; 16mm in Mirpur Mathelo tehsil; 17mm in Ubaoro tehsil.
The Punjab PDMA said that 84 people died and 224 were injured, while 44 cattle heads were killed in the monsoon rain-related incidents this year. According to a PDMA spokesperson, most of the deaths were caused by lightning, electrocution and collapsed houses.
The PDMA said that the next 36 hours were extremely important for south Punjab amid forecast of more heavy rains. It said that there was a fear of flash flooding in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Bahawalpur divisions, adding that there was no danger of flooding in the rivers for the time being.
The National Emergencies Operations Center (NEOC) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) anticipated a landslide and flash flooding risk amid active glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in parts of K-P, Gilgit Baltistan (G-B) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The NEOC anticipated heavy rainfall in G-B and AJK from August 19 to 24 whereas river discharge was expected to increase due to rise in temperature, increased snow melt and heavy rains, a news release said. The NEOC warned of localised landslides at Karakoram Highway along Hunza.
The NEOC also anticipated more rain-thundershowers with isolated heavy falls at scattered places in northern and eastern districts of Balochistan – Zhob, Killa Saifullah, Pishin, Quetta, Ziarat, Kalat, Khuzdar, Dadu, Lasbela, Awaran, Jhal Magsi, Washuk, Kachhi and Jafarabad.
In the province, the highest rainfall was recorded in Kalat with over 48mm, followed by Usta Muhammad, 34mm; and Sibi, 21mm. Quetta and Khuzdar recorded 10mm of rain each, while Zhob and Chaman recorded 9mm of rain.
National Highway Authority General Manager in Balochistan Agha Inayatullah clarified that all the national highways in north Balochistan were open for all kinds of traffic. Zaheer Ahmed Babar, a senior PMD official, said the latest spell of heavy rains would continue this week in parts of the country.
The silver lining of the rains is that Tarbela Dam is filled to capacity, officials said on Monday. “Tarbela Dam is full. The water level in the dam is 1,550 feet. Currently, the Tarbela lake holds 5.766 million acre feet of usable water,” a dam official said.
(WITH INPUTS FROM AGENCIES)
