The weather department on Wednesday said that heavy rains were expected in Naseerabad, Sibbi and Lasbela divisions of Balochistan during the next 24 hours as a new monsoon system would enter the province today. The department also forecast rains for the upper parts of the country and areas of Sindh Mithi, Badin, Umarkot, Tharparkar and Mirpurkhas during the aforementioned period, saying strong monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea were entering these areas via India. KP Tourism Department issues an alert In view of torrential rains predicted for different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), especially for the upper areas of the province from today, the provincial Tourism Department urged people to avoid going to hilly areas. In a statement, it said that heavy rains could result in landslides in mountainous areas, so tourists were advised to stay safe. Karachi to receive first monsoon showers on July 5 On the other hand, Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said that Karachi would receive the first spell of monsoon rains on July 5. Two days ago, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had predicted significant monsoon activity across upper and central parts of the country from July 3 to July 7 that could potentially disrupt daily routines.

In a statement, the PMD had said that rain and thunderstorms, including heavy to very heavy falls, were likely to lash Neelum Valley and Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu and Kashmir during the period. The department had also forecasted thundershowers for Islamabad and cities of Punjab, including Rawalpindi and Lahore, which could lead to urban flooding. On Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) weather, it said that very heavy falls were expected at isolated places, especially in the upper areas of the province, and also including Peshawar and Kohat. The department also predicted downpours for eastern Balochistan, parts of Sindh, including Umarkot and Sukkur, and Skardu and Gilgit in the country’s north from July 4. The PDM also alerted the concerned departments about possible flooding of nullahs and streams of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and other areas as well as urban flooding in Lahore and Peshawar from July 4 to 7. It had further said that landslides are a risk in hilly regions such as Murree and Galiyat. The heavy rainfall might also pose risks to weak structures and disrupt farming and travel activities.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan