Muzaffarabad / Gilgit:
Torrential rains and sudden floods caused general destruction through cashmere Azad, Kaghan Valley and Gilgit -Baltistan (GB), killing at least 10 dead – including women – and hundreds blocked.
According to Express News, a Cloudburst in a suburban area of Muzaffarabad killed five members of the same family.
In the Neelum valley, around fifty tourists, who were trapped in Ratti Gali Nullah, were rescued, but about 500 others remain blocked at the base camp, where several bridges have been swept away and blocked roads.
In the GB’s Ghizer district, Khalti’s floods swept five people. The bodies of a woman and a child were recovered, while the search for three others continues. Six houses were completely destroyed, while the sudden floods in Chitorkhand and Dain Nullah blocked the Ishkoman river, causing the evacuation of residents of the low zones due to the fears of a breach.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) reported that a woman had been killed after being struck by a rock in Dana Daliyaar, UC Machhiara, while another woman died and a person was injured after being swept away in Pulalandri Nullah.
In the Jhelum Valley, three stores and a water mill were destroyed by floods in Nar Dajian Nullah, while three people trapped during the floods in Chhattar Nullah, Poonch, were rescued.
In the Bagh district, around 400 tourists blocked after their vehicle was taken in flood waters has been rescued. The landslides blocked the Muzaffarabad-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa liaison route in Lohar Gali and the Bani Hafiz-Hattian route in the Jhelum valley. Access to the Leeppa valley was cut in DuduPura, and the Hajira-Abbubspur route in Poonch was blocked in Berri.
The floods also swept away two pedestrian bridges in Nullah Lawat, while heavy rains in Nathiagali led three girls to drown in Gilyat Tajwal; Two were rescued, but one died after drowned in the water.
PMD warning
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued an accelerated snow warning and glacier cast iron at Gilgit-Baltistan because the temperatures in the region remain 7 to 9 degrees Celsius above normal.
The unusual heat considerably intensifies the level of snow and fusion of ice, which increases the risk of lighting flood floods (GLOF).
Depending on the division of PMD flooding forecasts, maximum and minimum temperatures are constantly higher than average, leading to massive snow cast and an increase in water entries in the tanks.
The data show that until the first 10 days of August, the entry into the Tarbela tank during the current Kharif season reached 41.8 million acres (MAF), or 5.64 MAF above the normal seasonal influx of 36.16 MAF.
The ministry warned that the rapid merger of snow could lead to the formation and expansion of the glacial lakes, which constitute a serious threat of flooding for downstream areas. The officials urged the authorities and communities concerned to remain vigilant, especially in the vulnerable valleys, to alleviate potential impacts in the event of a disaster.
The monsoon rains, which fall into the region from June to September of each year, continue to whip many parts of the country. From the end of June, the monsoon rains have wreaked havoc through the country in the last month by triggering fatal floods, landslides and trips, especially in vulnerable, poorly drained or densely populated areas.
The torrential rains led to the blocking of the Karakoram motorway (KKH) at several points from the city of Abbottabad, leaving the shuttlers blocked for hours.
According to local authorities, all the large nuns and ravines of the district, including the door of the river, have swollen beyond their banks, creating dangerous conditions for residents and motorists nearby.
The sudden push of the water of the upper watersheds flooded low localities and debris washed on the KKH, which makes several sections impracticable. The rescue and rescue teams, as well as the traffic police, were deployed to clean the road and help the blocked passengers.
