LAHORE / KARACHI: Heavy rains, torrential at times, lashed upper parts of the country on Sunday with the Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) saying the rainwater was likely to generate medium to high flood in River Indus upstream of Tarbela in the next 24 hours.

The expected peak in the river was 490,000 to 550,000 cusecs, and the FFD asked the authorities concerned to adopt precautionary measures.

The flow in River Sutlej at Ganda Singhwala was likely to increase from Monday to Thursday. River Jhelum at Mangla was likely to attain high flood (150,000 – 300,000 cusecs) and River Chenab at Marala low to medium flood (120,000 – 150,000 cusecs) over the next 24 hours.

Also read: Relief operation continues in flood-hit Chitral as death toll reaches 31

Medium flood situation was also forecast in Nullahs Bhimber, Palku, Aik, Deg and Bein in view of likely rains in the upper catchments of River Chenab and in the Sialkot region in the next 24 hours.

The FFD reported heavy rain in upper parts of the country and in Punjab on Sunday. Kotli received 96 millimetres of rain, Sialkot (Cantonment 82mm and Airport 10mm), Oghi 80mm, Daggar 73mm, Phulra 68mm, Palandri 66mm, Shadiwal and Khanpur 54mm each, Malamjabba 53mm, Muzaffarabad 51mm,Ura 44mm, Shinkiari and Garhi Dupatta 41mm each, Murree 40mm, Warsak 39mm, Pattan 35mm, Ravi Syphon and Palku 31mm each, Lahore City 27mm and Airport 17mm, Domel 26mm, Multan 22mm, Layyah and Balakot 21mm each, Mangla 20mm, Marala (downstream) 19mm, Gujrat 16mm, Bahawalnagar 15mm, Jhelum and Gujranwala 14mm each, and Besham 13mm.

Rains are being caused by a westerly wave over Kashmir and adjoining areas and moderate to strong moist current penetrating into Punjab and Kashmir up to 7,000 feet.

Medium to high flood in Indus upstream,Tarbela possible in 24 hours

The FFD said that River Indus at Chashma, Taunsa, Guddu and Sukkur and River Kabul at Nowshera were in medium flood. River Indus at Tarbela and Kalabagh, River Chenab at Marala and River Ravi at Sidhnai were in low flood.

The FFD forecast fairly widespread thunderstorm-rains with isolated heavy falls over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata in the next 24 hours.

Scattered thunderstorm/rains of moderate intensity with isolated heavy falls were expected in Sindh and upper catchments of all major rivers along with Punjab and northeast Balochistan.

Rainfall of moderate intensity with isolated heavy falls was also expected over the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan division.

The Pakistan Meteoro-logical Depart-ment, Islam-abad, predicted heavy rainfall over Islamabad-Rawalpindi (catchment areas of Lai Nullah) during the next 24 to 36 hours.

Most cities and towns in Sindh, including Karachi, received moderate to heavy rain on Sunday. It rained in Karachi, Hyder-abad, Sukkur, Larkana and Mirpurkhas divisions and continued intermittently till late in the night.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Depart- ment, Thatta received maximum amount of rainfall— 44mm, or 1.7 inches — followed by Dadu (26mm), Islamkot, a town in the Thar region, (24mm), Rohri (22mm) and Nagarparkar (17mm).

Average amount of rain recorded in different observatories across Karachi on Sunday was 6.5mm.

The Met office forecast more rains across the province on Monday.

It said that widespread rains/thundershower were expected on Monday, and warned that it could generate “urban flooding” in Karachi, Hyderabad and other towns in the next 24 hours.

The sea condition is likely to remain rough to very rough along the Sindh-Makran coast till Tuesday and the Met office advised fishermen to remain careful.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play