LAHORE, Aug 25: The Flood Forecasting Division forecast on Saturday medium-to-high flood in the Chenab river at Marala during the next 24 hours because of heavy rains in its catchments.

Medium flood is expected in nullahs of rivers Chenab and Ravi in the Sialkot region and in Kabul, Swat, Kurram and Gambila rivers and their tributaries during that period.

There are strong indications of more rains in areas near the rivers over the next 48 hours because of a westerly wave and the monsoon current which is penetrating upper parts of the country up to 5,000 feet.

Meanwhile, it continued to rain in different cities in upper parts of the country and north and northeast Punjab on Saturday. Downtown Lahore received 11mm of rain in the afternoon.

Low-lying areas were inundated and traffic was disrupted. The weather remained partly cloudy to cloudy throughout the day. Maximum temperature was recoded at 33.2 degree Celsius and the minimum at 27 degree. The Met office reported heavy rain in Islamabad – 83mm at the airport.

Sialkot Cantt received 54mm of rain, Islamabad Zero Point 46mm, Balakot 36mm, Sialkot airport 34mm, Muzaffarabad 27mm, Mandi Bahauddin 7mm, Saidu Sharif 6mm, Malamjabba and Jhelum 4mm each and Dir and Kotli 3mm each. Scattered to fairly widespread thunderstorm/rain with isolated heavy falls was expected over Kashmir, north and northeast Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the next 24 hours. There are also chances of scattered thunderstorm/rain over Gilgit-Baltistan, Faisalabad and Sargodha divisions, and isolated thunderstorm/rain over south Punjab and northeast Balochistan.

SIALKOT: About 24 villages in tehsil Pasrur were inundated on Saturday because of an overflowing Nullah Dek. People moved to safer places along with their cattle and other belongings.

Traffic on Daska-Pasrur and Pasrur-Zafarwal-Narowal roads remained suspended. There was a shortage of food items for the stranded people and fodder for the cattle in flood-hit villages. Rescue 1122 officials were busy in relief work and shifting people to safer places.