Heavy rains trigger flooding in Neelum, water rising in Sutlej and Chenab
Pakistan
Monsoon system has been affecting the region for several days
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Persistent rains in the catchment areas are triggering rise in water level in Sutlej and Chenab after another monsoon system hit the region during the past three days while flooding in Neelum River has wreaked havoc in the region.
Northern India – including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and New Delhi have already received record-breaking rains, resulting in massive flooding in Yamuna River.
Similarly, parts of eastern and northern Punjab, especially Lahore and surrounding areas, are witnessing extreme weather events this season amid the continuous global warming threat as the world is grappling with the immediate effects of El Nino which is causing draught, extreme heat waves, heavy rains and flooding in different parts of the globe.
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In Kashmir, the overflowing Neelum swept away two bridges and many houses besides damaging other structures. It means several villages in the area are now disconnected from the rest of the country.
At the same time, River Chitral and its tributaries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa too were overflowing, as deluge destroyed or damaged several homes and businesses, prompting the provincial authorities to announce an emergency in Lower Chitral and Upper Chitral districts till August 15 with immediate effect.
Similar reports are coming out of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – including Battagram and Mansehra – and Kashmir about smaller streams and rivers with the monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal and a westerly are affecting the upper, central and eastern parts of Pakistan simultaneously.
The situation may worsen in the coming days as the Met Office has predicted more heavy rains in the coming which will automatically cause flash and river flooding in the tributaries of large rivers like Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.
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One of them is Neelum – which joins Jhelum at Muzaffarabad. It is also witnessing flooding as mentioned in this report. Both of them originate from the Occupied Kashmir.
However, all the major rivers are currently normal, shows a latest tweet posted by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) despite some increase in the water level as a result of persistent rains.
فلڈ فورکاسٹنگ ڈویژن اپڈیٹ:
— NDMA PAKISTAN (@ndmapk) July 23, 2023
ملک بھر میں دریاؤں کے بہاؤ کی مجموعی صورتحال معمول کے مطابق ہے. جبکہ دریائے سندھ کے بالائی کیچمنٹ علاقوں میں گزشتہ دنوں کی بارشوں کیوجہ میں بہاؤ قدرے زیادہ ریکارڈ کیا گیا ہے۔#ndmapk #Monsoon2023 pic.twitter.com/RZFdZYVK2W
As far as Sutlej is concerned, water level at Ganda Singh Wala – a village located near the Pak-India border – has again risen by 20 feet, again inundating the settlements which were recently affected by the overflowing river.
The deluge in the eastern river had earlier caused devastation in parts of Okara and Bahawalnagar, as it swept way riverbanks at three spots while the water level is again rising in the downstream areas – south of Ganda Singh Wala.
Meanwhile, the rains in Kashmir are also causing a rise in water level of Chenab as the administration decided to shift the people from low-lying areas along the river path.
More rains predicted
According to the Met office, more heavy rains are expected from July 23 to 26 during Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala and Lahore may experience urban flooding while landslides would remain a threat in the mountainous areas of Murree in Punjab and of Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
At the same time, it also warned about the possibility of flash flooding in Kashmir, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Buner, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Rawalpindi/Islamabad.
On the other hand, hill torrent of Dera Ghazi Khan and northeast and south Balochistan could experience flash flooding on July 23 and 24.
Meanwhile, water logging will remain a threat in the low lying areas of Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpur Khas, Sanghar, Khairpur, Kashmore, Ghotki, Naushehro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Matiari, Hyderabad, Tando Allah Yar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Karachi and Hyderabad.
