ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a fresh advisory regarding the risks of possible heavy rains, flooding and landslides in different parts of the country from August 23 to 30.
The alert states that three different weather systems are entering Pakistan simultaneously, under the influence of which many areas of the country may be affected by severe weather effects.
According to the advisory, storms, strong winds, and heavy rains have been predicted in Islamabad, Kashmir, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from August 23 to 25, which poses a serious risk of flooding in low-lying areas and landslides in mountainous areas.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there is a risk of flooding and landslides in rivers and canals due to rains in several districts including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Mansehra, Abbottabad and Malakand, while severe flood conditions have been forecast in Swabi, Mardan and Hazara divisions. Heavy rains are likely in north-eastern districts of Punjab such as Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Sialkot, Gujrat, Hafizabad and Mandi Bahauddin, while low-lying areas in Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Gujranwala may also be inundated.
There is also a risk of heavy rains, landslides and impact on communication roads in several districts of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. In Sindh, torrential rains have been predicted in Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sujawal and Tharparkar from August 27 to 30, while heavy rains are also expected in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Dadu and Jacobabad.
Intermittent heavy rains with gusty winds are likely in several districts of Balochistan, especially in the areas of Lasbela, Khuzdar, Turbat, Gwadar and Panjgur, which may cause flooding.The water flow in the adjacent areas of the Indus, Chenab and Ravi rivers is also likely to increase to dangerous levels. The water flow is likely to reach five lakh cusecs at Taunsa, Guddu and Kalabagh.
The NDMA has warned citizens to avoid unnecessary travel, especially tourists visiting the northern areas to remain on alert and travel only after being fully aware of the weather conditions.
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