ISLAMABAD:
Rising temperatures and an intense heat wave across the country have accelerated glacier melting, significantly increasing the risk of landslides and floods in northern and mountainous areas.
The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a warning about the expected weather situation across the country from May 26 to May 31.
According to the NDMA, temperatures in most parts of the country are expected to be between 40 and 48 degrees Celsius, while Sindh, Balochistan and southern Punjab are likely to remain in the grip of severe heat wave conditions.
On the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the NDMA has initiated a review of nationwide emergency measures in light of the potential threats.
As per the NDMA directives, provincial disaster management authorities have initiated preventive measures including awareness campaigns, deployment of emergency response teams, establishment of cooling centers and improvement of medical facilities.
According to the report, glaciers in Gilgit-Baltistan, upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and other mountainous areas are melting rapidly due to the extreme heat, increasing the likelihood of landslides and floods.
NDMA has identified a high risk of landslides in Hunza, Nagar, Gilgit, Chilas, Astore, Shigar, Chitral, Kalam, Upper Kohistan and several areas of Azad Kashmir.
The authority warned that connecting roads between Shimshal, Attabad Lake, Karimabad, Gulmit, Shishkat Bala and Passu could be affected by landslides, while closure of Karakoram Highway, Shigar Valley Road, Skardu Road and Deosai Road is also feared.
Meanwhile, rapid glacier melting and possible Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) may trigger flood situations in several areas including Darkot, Lasht, Reshun, Booni, Badswat, Shisper, Gilgin, Hinarche, Roshan and Kumrat.
The NDMA further warned that hill streams and rivers may overflow while flood threats also persist in Hunza, Ghizer, Diamer, Astore, Ghanche, Shigar, Chitral, Dir, Swat and Kohistan.
In Sindh, Jacobabad, Qambar Shahdadkot, Dadu, Jamshoro, Khairpur, Sanghar, Umerkot, Sukkur, Ghotki and Mirpurkhas are expected to remain badly affected by the heat wave.
Similarly, Chagai, Washuk, Kharan, Turbat, Sibi, Nasirabad and Jaffarabad in Balochistan are also likely to experience extreme temperatures.
In Punjab, temperatures are expected to rise further in Multan, Lodhran, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Muzaffargarh, Bhakkar, Layyah, Lahore, Sahiwal and Kasur.
