Lahore:
Punjab and Sindh remained on a high alarm on Sunday in the middle of expected fresh monsoon rains across the country, stacked fear of further elaboration of the ongoing flood crisis that forced the closure of a critical part of the highway and sent a dangerous wave of water in the Indus River.
Authorities warned that the situation could be further deteriorated with another spell that is expected in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) this week. Peshawar authorities issued advice for heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds from 16 to 19 September.
The prognosis of the 11th magic form of monsoon rain came when floods were in large parts of southern Punjab. Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said the Jalalpur Pirwala section of the M-5 motorway was closed due to erosion caused by flooding waters.
Sand bags are inserted to protect dams while police have redirected traffic through alternative routes. Nordbound traffic is redirected via Uch Sharif, Jhangra and Jalalpur are exchanged and southbound vehicles through Shah Shams, Sher Shah and Shujabad South.
Hundreds of villages in Shujaabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Ahmedspur East, Rajanpur and Vehari remained flooded. In the multan district, dozens of settlements around the head are Muhammadwala and Shershah underwater.
In Chachran, hundreds of homes have collapsed in the river, thousands of hectares of crops destroyed and vital road connections that were washed away. According to PDMA numbers, floods have affected more than 4,700 villages over Punjab’s three major river systems.
They incuded 2,475 villages along Chenab, 1,458 along Ravi and 715 along Sutlej. Help efforts include 372 relief, 459 medical camps and 391 veterinary centers for displaced livestock, with over 2 million animals moved to safety.
PDMA -Human Director Irfan Ali Kathia confirmed that the water level in Punjab’s rivers has begun to retreat, with streams at Panjnad barrier that fell to about 392,000 CUSSCS. However, at Guddu barrier in Sindh, emissions remain dangerously high, registered with over 627,000 CUSSCS.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that monsoon rains and floods between June 26 and September 14 killed 985 people and wounded 1,062. Thirteen killed was registered in the last 24 hours, including four in Punjab and nine in Sindh.
Punjab’s Emergency Aid Commissioner Nabeel Javed said 104 people have died in the province during the latest wave, while almost 4.6 million inhabitants have been affected. About 2.5 million people have been moved to safer locations.
In Sindh, the authorities are struggling with the dangerous increase of the Indus River. The influx of Guddu barrier was registered at 627,000 CUSERCS with outflow of 582,942 CUSSCS. All river (Katcha) areas of Kandhkot have been immersed and thousands of hectares of standing crops destroyed.
Pakistan Navy Emergency Response -Teams, equipped with hovercraft, lifeboats and dive tracts, performs relief operations in Kashmore, Ghotki, Sukkur and Shikarpur, officials said.
Sindh -Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who visited SUKKUR -said on Sunday, said about 650,000 to 700,000 CuseC’s water was expected to flow through the barrier. “We had expected this stream and prepared ourselves accordingly,” he said
He praised officials for supervising efforts for flooding management. Shah said the government’s priorities saved lives, protected barriers and protected dams. He welcomed the federal government’s statement on an agricultural and environmental emergency and promised that Sindh would devise an implementation plan.
Meanwhile, KP PDMA issued advice for heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds from 16 to 19 September in upper districts, including dir, chitral, swat, kohistan, Shangla, mansehra, abbotta, buner, charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi and Marran.
Authorities warned of flash floods, landslides in hilly areas and damage to weak structures, electricity bars, signs and solar panels. District administrations have been instructed to keep emergency teams on duty and maintain drainage systems.
Officials emphasized that with multiple rain forecast and reservoirs near capacity – Mangla -dam of 93%, Tarbela full and large Indian dams, including bhakra, pong and Thein close to maximum levels – will be critical in the coming days.
Authorities urged residents to avoid unnecessary journeys near rivers and mountains. Residents of vulnerable areas have been asked to move to higher land or official relief. PDMA’s relief line 1129 remains active around the clock, PDMA said.
(With Input from Peshawar, Karachi Correspondent)
