PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) advisory on Thursday for five districts after a similar flood was reported from the remote Arkari area of Lower Chitral a day earlier.

The advisory — issued for the districts of Upper and Lower Chitral, Swat, Upper Dir and Upper Kohistan — warned of a high probability of prevailing weather conditions triggering GLOF events, flash floods, landslides, mudslides and gusty winds in KP’s vulnerable areas.

It said the Pakistan Meteorological Department had informed that due to persistent weather conditions, the probability of elevated temperatures and expected rain spells in the province might increase the flow of river streams.

The advisory directed district administrations to put the population living near waterways and vulnerable locations on alert to avoid casualties and infrastructure damage. “All relevant departments may also be put on high alert for swift response in case of any emergent or untoward situation,” it said.

PDMA also warns of flash floods, landslides, mudslides and gusty winds in vulnerable areas

On the other hand, a GLOF incident was reported in the remote Arkari valley of Lower Chitral district on Wednesday evening, damaging two wooden bridges. However, no causalities were reported.

According to a report issued by the district administration, the lake outburst was reported in the Rabat Arkari nullah. “A low-intensity flood was reported in the nullah of Rabat Arkari village of Arkari valley, which has now receded,” it said.

The report said the flood could be referred to as a low-intensity GLOF event as the temperature was on the rise over the past couple of days and it was apprehended that it might trigger the flood event.

The report said no major damages had been reported thus far to the public or private properties, except for the Arkari Road, which was washed away by the flood.

Earlier on Thursday, the PDMA alerted deputy commissioners across the province about the monsoon rain forecasts in the first week of July.

The agency directed the deputy commissioners to inform the tourists about the weather during the monsoon rains and ensure the availability of all emergency services, staff, machinery and other items.

Besides, the agency also asked the district administration to keep monitoring the local nullahs as precautionary measures to avoid any loss of life or damage to crops and livestock.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2022