LAHORE: Heavy rains in upper parts of the country swelled River Jhelum to the high flood mark upstream Mangla Dam on Thursday when the Indus was also in high flood in Mithan Kot with a discharge of around 550,000 cusecs.

However, the peak flow of 146,000 cusecs in River Jhelum was short-lived and did not cause any problem. It was generated by heavy rain over the catchments of the river in Azad Kashmir, Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) chief Riaz Khan said.

According to the FFD, River Indus was in medium flood at Kalabagh, Chashma, Taunsa and Guddu. A discharge of 105,000 cusecs from River Chenab was mixing with 450,000 cusecs coming from Taunsa, in Mithan Kot. The accumulated flow of 550,000 cusecs from Mithan Kot is expected to reach Guddu Barrage by Friday.

River Indus in Sukkur, River Kabul in Nowshera and River Ravi in Sidhnai were in low flood.

After returning to the country from London, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the flood-affected areas of south Punjab, including Dera Ghazi Khan, Jhakkar Imam Shah, Rajanpur and Mithan Kot. He talked to the affected people and reviewed relief activities.

Heavy rain lashed various parts of the country. Balakot received 107 millimetre of rain, Kakul 84mm, Muzaffarabad 61mm, Kotli 54mm, Malamjabba 44mm, Rawalakot 39mm, Jhang 32mm, Sialkot 28mm, Risalpur 27mm, Lasbela and Dir 26mm, Pattan 21mm, Mithi 19mm, Murree, Khuzdar and Lahore 15mm, Sibbi 13mm, Nagarparkar and Bannu 12mm, Garhi Dupatta 11mm, Jhelum and Okara 9mm, Kot Addu 7mm, Kohat, Peshawar and Cherat 6mm and Saidu Sharif, Multan and Zhob 4mm.

The FFD said a trough of westerly wave lay over Kashmir and adjoining areas. The well marked seasonal low over north-western Balochistan and low pressure over northern Madhya Pradesh (India) remained stationary. Moderate to strong moist current was penetrating into Punjab and Kashmir up to 5,000 feet.

According to the FFD, the four factors will cause scattered rain of moderate intensity with isolated heavy falls in Sindh and upper catchments of all major rivers along with Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northeast Balochistan in the next 24 hours.

Heavy rains are likely in scattered areas in Kashmir, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Lahore districts during the period.

Meanwhile, talking to flood-affected people in south Punjab, the chief minister said they would be provided maximum relief and rehabilitated on the pattern of 2010. He said he would continue to visit the area till conditions improved.

Shahbaz Sharif inspected the breach in a river dyke in Jhakkar Imam Shah and reprimanded irrigation officials for not starting its plugging. He said he had inspected the dyke last year and ordered its reconstruction.

He said those responsible for the breach would not be spared and ordered the provincial irrigation minister and secretary and other officials concerned to stay at the site till the breach was plugged.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2015

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