Road links between different areas in Narowal were severed after local streams and nullahs burst their banks, inundating scores of villages, agricultural fields and washing away roads, following heavy monsoon rains over the hills in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Residents of these areas, especially Nikki Gujran, are facing great inconvenience as they are completely cut off from each other. Two kids drown in River Chenab in Muzaffargarh In a tragic incident, two children playing on the bank of River Chenab in Muzaffargarh went missing after they slipped and fell into the river. Rescue 1122 personnel were busy searching for the bodies of eight-year-old Hamna and nine-year-old Sufyan till last reports came in. Rains reported from Punjab cities, lower Sindh On the other hand, torrential rains continue to lash different parts of Punjab. Downpour was reported from Shakargarh, Gujranwala, Sarai Alamgir and Kharian on Thursday, inundating low-lying areas and resulting in the suspension of power supply after several feeders were tripped. 

More monsoon showers forecast The weather department has said that a monsoon low over the north-western states of India would produce heavy rains in different parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), from today (August 15) till August 18 that could result in deluge in rivers and streams besides urban flooding.  It has said that in Punjab rains are expected in Murree, Galyat, twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Attock, Chakwal, Tala Gang, Jhelum, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Lahore, Kasur, Mianwali, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Jhang, Chiniot, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Bhakkar, Khushab, Nurpur Thal, while heavy showers are likely at isolated places in Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rahim Yar Khan.

Similarly, the Met Office has predicted rains for different parts of KP namely Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Balakot, Abbottabad, Haripur, Buner, Nowshera, Swabi, Charsadda, Mardan, Karak, Kohat, Bannu, Malakand, Waziristan, Kurram, Lakki Marwat, Peshawar, Tank and Dera Ismael Khan. Rains have also been forecast at a few places in cities of Balochistan namely Barkhan, Kohlu, Loralai, Zhob, Khuzdar, Awaran, Lasbela and outskirts. Likewise, the weather department has said that parts of lower Sindh like Tharparkar, Mithi, Mirpurkhas, Umarkot, Sanghar, Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta and Badin are also likely to receive rains. It has forecast partly cloudy weather for Gilgit-Baltistan while rain and strong winds for different parts of AJK until August 18.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan