CM Punjab Maryam issues high alert amid heavy rainfalls

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Sunday ordered Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), district administration, police, and rescue services to remain alert and take preventive actions as there were expectations of heavy rain and possible flash floods in the province.

Maryam Nawaz also ordered deputy commissioners and other officials to remain in the field to ensure the implementation of PDMA rules.

She issued instructions for special focus on preparing against potential cloudbursts in Upper Punjab and flash floods in Koh-e-Sulaiman and the River Ravi areas.

Murree, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakwal, and Koh-e-Sulaiman district administrations have been asked to undertake special precautionary measures.

Tourist travel was decided to be curbed in Murree and the surrounding areas because of apprehension regarding cloudbursts, landslides, and torrential rain to reduce risks.

Tourist movement will be curtailed for the purpose of safety measures. Boats, life jackets, and other necessary equipment have also been arranged for waterway populations.

CM Maryam Nawaz also issued a ban on bathing in streams, canals, and rivers because of the fear of floods. To impose safety protocol, police patrolling has been made compulsory along riversides and water courses.

The chief minister asked parents to stop children from approaching rivers and streams to save them from accidents. The Met Office has issued a monsoon weather warning for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Punjab regarding heavy rain, cloudbursts, and riverine flooding.

The Met Office has warned that a monsoon system in operation over upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Punjab may produce heavy rain in Mardan, Shangla, Buner, Swat, Mansehra, Peshawar, and other districts.

Abbottabad, Buttgram, Kohistan, along with Kashmir’s Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, and Rawalakot, may also witness heavy rain along with thunderstorms.

A warning regarding riverine flooding has been issued by PDMA Punjab from August 17 to 23. Sudden widespread heavy rain along with probable cloudbursts in upper Punjab is expected from today, the PDMA has warned in an advisory.

PMD has also forecasted heavy rain in Sindh and Balochistan, along with flooding and landslides.

Tentative tourists have been requested to postpone their travel to hilly regions, while the administration has been requested to remain vigilant.

It is to be noted here that Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been placed under a rain emergency following heavy rain.