ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Amid the forecast of heavy rains across the country between April 26 and May 7, Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday advised the provinces to take necessary precautions and stay alert to ensure public safety during this period while expressing the apprehension that the country might ‘fall into a recovery trap’.

From Kashmir to Karachi, according to her, one must be prepared to expect unstable weather patterns leading to sporadic urban flooding.

The Met Office earlier cautioned tourists, farmers and relevant authorities that strong wind and hailstorms may cause damage to lose infrastructure and standing crops (particularly wheat crop), while heavy showers may trigger flashfloods in parts of Balochistan and hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan from April 28 till May 2 and in Mansehra, Abbottabad, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir from May 1 to May 4.

Also, landslides may occur in the hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Murree and Galliyat during the period.

Minister fears country may ‘fall into a recovery trap’ if even a fraction of last year’s devastation comes to pass

The minister called for taking extra precautions in the areas where reconstruction work is underway in the wake of the devastation caused by the monsoon floods in 2022. She advised the provinces to ensure that storm drains were not clogged, besides the stability of electricity poles and road access in the event of flooding.

A statement issued by the ministry for climate change quoted her as expressing the fears that the country may fall into a recovery trap if it does not have sufficient resources to deal with the devastation caused by the 2022 floods. “My fear is that Pakistan will be in the resilience and rebuilding trap if there are not enough resources to plough into the devastation wrought by the 2022 flooding.

“While there is no clarity on what level of monsoon to expect next, the rebuilding projects will certainly be impacted as well as the economic recovery, if even a fraction of the devastation repeats itself.”

Choppy seas and showers

The minister specifically advised the fishing community to be cautious, particularly off the coast of Ormara, Pasni, and Gwadar, due to the possibility of choppy seas and extreme weather conditions. It was important for them to take necessary precautions and stay informed about weather updates during this period, she added.

According to Met Office, the regions that are likely to be affected by rain, wind, and thunderstorms for next three days include Islamabad, parts of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jam­mu and Kashmir; Peshawar, Mar­dan, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan and Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Mur­r­ee, Galliyat, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujran­wala, Sialkot and Lahore in Punjab.

Similarly, parts of Balochistan, Sindh and south Punjab are likely to experience rain, dust, and thunderstorms, with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms, from April 27 evening till May 3.

Under the influence of this weather system, scattered dust-thunderstorm along with moderate to heavy rain is expected in parts of Sindh, including Dadu, Jamshoro, Kam­bar, Shahdadkot, Larkana, Jaco­b­­abad, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Sukk­ur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Naus­hahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal and Karachi, from April 28 to May 1.

Also from April 30 to May 5, rain with wind and thunderstorms is expected to lash Islamabad as well as several areas of Punjab, KP, GB and AJK, namely Lahore, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Mianwali, Khushab, Jhelum, Chakwal, Attock, Rawalpindi, Galliyat, Murree, Abbottabad, Kohistan, Shangla, Haripur, Mansehra, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Peshawar, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Chitral, Dir, Swat and Buner.

PDMA preparation

In Sindh, the provincial disaster management authority (PDMA) claimed to have set up a centre for coordination among the district administrations and to monitor operations in case of emergency in any area. An official cited a letter sent to all deputy commissioners in Sindh and representatives of organisations at the district level, asking them to stay in touch with the Met Office and ensure the availability of stocks of emergency relief, medicines and related supplies at all government hospitals.

According to him, a helpline number is being set up, which will become operational by Thursday evening, so that the general public reach the district administration and our staff in case of any emergency or any assistance they need. All ambulance services have already been taken on board with the district administration and PDMA, while power utilities had been directed to ensure uninterrupted supply to hospitals and healthcare units across the Sindh province, assigning a liaison officer to coordinate with all organisations. “We are coordinating with the local government organisations such as KWSB and different development authorities if they need any assistance. We have also identified a few areas in Karachi where they need to focus more and deploy more manpower and machinery for drainage [in case of flooding],” the official said.

In Lahore, PDMA DG Imran Qureshi said that commissioners and deputy commissioners had been instructed to stay alert and keep machinery and personnel ready to tackle any emergency, amid the warning of flash floods in local streams and nullahs of the mountainous areas of D.G. Khan from April 28 to May 2.

He further said people should avoid unnecessary travel during the rainy season and call PDMA’s helpline ‘1129’ for emergency assistance.

The PDMA also advised all deputy commissioners in Punjab to keep the district emergency centres operational round the clock and take necessary precautionary measures to avoid any loss of life and property.

Meanwhile, on the instruction of the Lahore commissioner, WASA managing director directed officers to remain in the field to ensure timely cleaning of disposal stations. He also issued directives to ensure availability of generators to drain water from low-lying areas of the city. In this regard, he also asked the staff to keep an eye on underpasses to avoid loss of life and property.

Imran Ayub in Karachi also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2023