ISLAMABAD: Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Wednesday said Sindh and Balochistan had been experiencing severe monsoon pressure for the last 13 days, with both provinces receiving rainfall more than the 30-year average.

In her twitter message on the ongoing monsoon rains, Ms Rehman said: “Sindh has received 625pc more rainfall than the 30-year average and Balochistan received 501pc more rainfall.”

The percentage was much higher than last week, when she warned at a press conference that Sindh had received 261pc more rainfall than the average while the percentage in Balochistan was 274pc, which was the highest until July 6.

The minister also warned that the Meteorological Department had predicted more torrential rains from Thursday.

“Once again there will be more rains in Sindh and Balochistan,” Ms Rehman tweeted, adding that relevant authorities had been directed to remain alert and take precautionary measures.

She said the above normal monsoon season was triggered by global warming, expressing concern over the incidents of flash floods and glacial lake outburst floods.

She urged people to heed to the weather advisories to minimise loss of lives and damage to properties.

The minister drew attention to the economic losses suffered by Pakistan due global warming, which stood at 9.2pc of the gross domestic product (GDP).

This was highest in the region, even more than India and Nepal, in terms of percentage of the GDP, she added.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2022