The NDMA chairman outlined the complete national response to the floods, formulated based on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

“In the past week, we observed a massive spell of monsoon rain in eastern Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and occupied Kashmir,” Lt Gen Malik said. “The disaster management system that has evolved in Pakistan is at the federal level. We can now determine weather anomalies and stress points with 95 per cent accuracy.”

The NDMA chief said that through this early warning system, authorities can predict glacial melts, flash floods, landslides and debris flows. He warned that these will become more frequent in the coming years.

“We expect another low-pressure system from the Bay of Bengal during the first 10 days of September,” he said. “In the following three to four days, there is a high likelihood of rain in eastern Punjab and occupied Kashmir. This will not be as intense as what we have observed in the past week.”