Warning of ‘Exceptionally High’ Flood in Punjab

A monsoon depression over India which is moving towards Pakistan and an approaching westerly wave are expected to generate widespread rain in the country, very heavy at places, causing exceptionally high flood in Chenab and Jhelum rivers from Sept 21 to 25, according to the Flood Forecasting Division (FFD).

The FFD said on Thursday that widespread rain, with heavy to very heavy rainfall at scattered places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places, is expected over lower and upper catchments of Sutlej, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum rivers from Sept 20 to 24. As a result, exceptionally high floods are expected in Chenab and Jhelum rivers from Sept 21 to 25. The flood situation in Sutlej and Ravi rivers will depend on the discharges from Indian reservoirs. Exceptionally high flood situation is also expected in the nullahs of Ravi and Chenab rivers during the same period. The Pakistan Meteorological Department had on Wednesday said a westerly wave was likely to enter upper parts of Pakistan during the weekend and some post-monsoon currents were expected to penetrate in south-eastern parts of the country during the same time. 

Under the influence of these meteorological conditions, scattered rain with dust-thundershower is expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions), Fata, Islamabad, Punjab (Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions), Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir from Sunday to Tuesday. Scattered rain-thunderstorm is also expected in eastern parts of Sindh (Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad and Hyderabad divisions) from Saturday to Monday. Isolated heavy falls are also expected in Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Bahawalpur divisions on Sunday and Monday and in Sahiwal, Lahore and Gujranwala divisions on Monday to Tuesday.