LAHORE: This year’s monsoon rains have left 70 dead across the country since the season began on June 26, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Friday, adding that relevant national organisations are gearing up to meet the challenges of a fresh spell of widespread showers expected to begin on Saturday (today).

On Friday, several areas in Sindh — the first province hit by the latest weather system — received moderate to high rainfall in Islam Kot (57mm), Badin (40mm), Mithi (31mm), Diplo (20mm), Chhor (16mm), Nagarparkar (14mm), Chachhro (12mm), Dahli (8mm) and Karachi (1mm). Lahore experienced heavy but scattered rainfall with 47mm of rainfall recorded at the Met Department’s Jail Road office.

The Flood Forecasting Division in Lahore, however, said that there was no immediate threat of river flooding.The Met Department reiterated that the new monsoon system would cause widespread rainfall, with scattered heavy showers and one or two very heavy showers in southern and south-eastern Sindh and eastern Balochistan till Monday.

The current rain spell is centred over north-eastern Punjab from Lahore to Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Azad Kashmir and northern parts of the country. Gujrat, Gujranwala, Jhelum and Rawalpindi-Islamabad should brace for heavy rain showers.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2017