FFC forecasts medium floods, heavy rainfall over major river catchments

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Flood Commission (FFC) has forecasted medium flooding in the River Chenab and expects medium to high flow levels in the nullahs within the catchment areas of the Rivers Ravi and Chenab over the next 24 hours.

In its daily report issued on August 11, the FFC indicated that the River Indus is experiencing medium flood conditions at the Taunsa, Guddu reach, while it is under low flood conditions at the Tarbela, Kalabagh reach, and the Sukkur Barrage.

The River Kabul is flowing at a low flood level at Nowshera. Other major rivers in the Indus River System, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej, are currently discharging normal flows.

The report also noted that the combined live storage of the country’s key reservoirs, Tarbela, Mangla, and Chashma, stands at 10.353 million acre-feet (MAF), or 77.53% of the total storage capacity of 13.354 MAF.

The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) in Lahore has observed that the trough of the Westerly Wave, previously over northern Afghanistan, is now over northern Pakistan.

Additionally, the upper air cyclonic circulation that was over central Jharkhand, India, has shifted to south Uttar Pradesh, India.

An active monsoon trough extends from the Bay of Bengal to northeastern Punjab, with moderate to strong moist currents penetrating the upper regions of the country from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal up to 5,000 feet. A seasonal low continues to persist over northeast Balochistan.

The FFD predicts scattered to widespread thunderstorms with moderate to heavy rain and isolated very heavy falls over the upper catchments of all major rivers and Islamabad in the coming 24 hours.