LAHORE: The Meteorolo­gical Department on Friday forecast more widespread rain-thundershowers in Islam­abad, Punjab, Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtun­khwa on Saturday and Sunday due to a westerly wave and a moist monsoon current.

It also forecast rain at scattered places in parts of Balochistan (Sibbi, Zhob, Kalat, Nasirabad divisions) and upper Sindh (Sukkur, Larkana divisions) over the next two days.

It said there could be scattered heavy rain in Azad Kashmir, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore and Hazara divisions.

Rain forecast for many areas

The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) expected high flood in Nullah Deg, near Head Marala, downstream Kingra, over the next 24 hours.

(Water from the nullah has already spread to at least 12 villages, damaging property and crops, according to our Narowal correspondent. He also reported that three people drowned while crossing the flooded Nullah Bhein in Shakargarh.

The flood in Nullah Deg spread to a large number of villages late on Friday night, damaging property and crops over hundreds of acres of land. The flood was caused rains in Kashmir and Pakistan. The water level in the nullah has been rising consistently, endangering its embankments.)

The Federal Flood Commission (FFC) said the Chenab river was in low flood in the Khanki-Qadirabad reach while the Kabul river continued to be in medium flood in the Warsak- Nowshera reach.

It said the Swat river was also in low flood stage at the Charsadda Road bridge while other main rivers, including Indus, Jhelum, Ravi and Sutlej were flowing normally.

The FFD said the river Jhelum was likely to be at low to medium flood at Mangla on Saturday.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued a high alert for large parts of Dera Ismail Khan and Hazara divisions in view of the forecast for heavy rain. There is a likelihood of flooding in some urban areas, the PDMA warned, asking the authorities concerned to take precautionary measures to meet any eventuality.

The Punjab PDMA also issued a high alert for the Sialkot-Narowal region, saying torrential rain there over the next 24 hours might swell nullahs.

Meanwhile, light rain in Lahore on Friday kept the weather pleasant. The city’s maximum temperature was 33 degrees Celsius and the minimum 23 degrees. Humidity was recorded at 64 per cent.

(According to APP, torrential rains followed by flash floods played havoc in parts of Swabi district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the night between Thursday and Friday when water entered many houses and shops. Standing crops were also swept away)

The Met office recorded heavy to moderate rain in the last 24 hours in different parts of the country. Kotli received 73millimetres of rain, Malamjabba 47, Jhelum 45, Balakot 39, Rawalpindi (Chaklala 38, Shamsabad 19), Sargodha 37, Mangla 35, Islamabad (Saidpur 35, Golra 27, Zero Point 23, Bokra 20), Murree and Muzaffarabad 24, Gujranwala 21, Dir 20, Kohat 17, Gujrat 15 and Kakul 13.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2015

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