NDMA warns of heavy rainfall, floods across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has released new weather warnings forecasting that a storm in the northeast Arabian Sea will likely cause rain and windy conditions to hit Sindh, while another westerly system may cause heavy rains in Punjab early next week.

As per the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the intense low-pressure area, which previously developed off the coast of India’s Saurashtra, has now moved further into the Arabian Sea. Situated some 310 kilometers southeast of Karachi, the system is forecast to intensify into a tropical depression over the next 12 hours.

Its impact will also witness Karachi and 11 districts of south Sindh, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Badin, and Mirpurkhas — experience light to moderate rain along with winds up to 55 km/h on Tuesday.

The NDMA has warned fishermen not to venture into the open sea until at least October 3, forecasting rough to very rough seas on Thursday. Authorities also worry that strong winds and lightning could destroy weak infrastructure like mud houses, electric poles, billboards, vehicles, and solar panels.

This advisory follows one of the worst monsoon seasons in years for Pakistan. Over 1,000 people have been killed across the country since late June, while over 4.7 million individuals in Punjab province alone have been displaced by floods.

Over 4,700 villages continue to be underwater, more than 2.5 million people have been made homeless, and widespread damage has been caused in cotton, rice, and sugarcane fields.

Punjab is also currently threatened by further floods, with the larger Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) having forecast that a powerful westerly wave will strike north and north-eastern districts, major rivers’ upper catchments, between October 5 and 7. This system is expected to bring very heavy to heavy rains coupled with thunderstorms.

While the present water levels in the Guddu, Sukkur, and Kotri barrages are normal, the authorities are cautious of abrupt rises that may breach the embankments and induce flash flooding.

In Karachi, the weather will remain humid and partly cloudy with day temperatures between 33 and–36°C. Drizzle or light rain is possible until Friday, whereas hot and dry weather is predicted elsewhere in Sindh, unaffected by the storm.

Sindh and Punjab provincial disaster management authorities have put local governments on high alert, ordering deputy commissioners and disaster committees to be on vigil 24/7 and file daily situation reports as the new weather patterns approach.