Lahore:
Torrential monsoon rains have flooded large parts of the country, swelling the rivers, damaging cultures and making dozens of deaths while the authorities warn against additional floods at the end of August.
The division of flood forecasts indicated that the Tarbela dam reached 99% of its capacity at 1,549.20 feet, while the mangla dam is 76% full to 1,219.40 feet. The levels in Rawal, Khanpur and Simly Darms have also increased significantly, which prompted the authorities to open spills in certain tanks to mitigate the pressure.
High flooding conditions were recorded at the Guddu dam on the Industry river, where the entries reached more than 543,000 CUSECs. The Sutlej river has also increased at dangerous levels, especially in Ganda Singh Wala in Kasur and the Sulemanki head, where the authorities have confirmed moderate to high floods. Officials have allocated the growing levels of Sutlej in part to India freeing additional water upstream.
The floods have already overwhelmed thousands of agricultural land acres, destroying crops and moving residents. In the Kasur district, more than 30 villages have lost access to the land and thousands of agricultural land has been flooded. A similar devastation was reported in Pakpattan, where flood waters have entered the residential areas, forcing mass evacuations.
The victims rose as the houses collapsed and the infrastructure has made room under pressure from continuous showers. At least 10 people were killed and more than 60 injured through Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Cashmere, according to the first reports. In Mardan, a person died when the roof of a room collapsed, while at the cashmere of the Azad, four houses and a mosque were destroyed by landslides.
Large cities also had trouble urban floods. In Lahore, Torrential Rain overwhelmed streets in Gulberg, Prison Road, Lakshmi Chowk and other neighborhoods, with water entering homes and stores. Islamabad and Rawalpindi saw swollen streams overflowing, flooding Bhara Kahu and trapping vehicles. In Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum and Chiniot, the heavy showers disturbed the power supplies after the poles fall and the feeders stumbled.
The northern areas have not been spared. In Murrier, the landslides and overflowing streams cut the key roads, including the Kohala and Kotli Sattian roads. In Gilgit-Baltistan, fears of the increase in water in the Gilgit river caused the hotels along its banks, while neighboring schools were closed. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, winds reaching 100 kilometers per hour uprooted to Dera Ismail Khan, overthrew the power lines and torn house roofs.
The National Disaster Management Authority has extended a meteorological alert nationally until August 30, warning more torrential rains and the risk of sudden floods and landslides in vulnerable regions, including Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Mansehra and Abbottabad. The authorities have urged citizens to avoid unnecessary trips, especially in mountainous or low areas.
The rescue teams and local administrations continue to evacuate the affected residents and provide help, but the civil servants warned that the worsening of conditions in rivers and mountain streams could increase the crisis in the coming days.
