Pakistan issues new flood alert as monsoon death toll climbs to nearly 200
According to the NDMA's latest situation report, 193 people have been killed in total since June 26 in rain-related incidents, which includes 93 children, 64 males and 36 females.
Punjab reported the highest number of deaths, 114, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 40, Sindh 21, Balochistan 16 while Azad Kashmir and Islamabad each reported a single death.
'The National Disaster Management Authority has issued a flood alert due to expected monsoon rains across various parts of the country from today till Friday next,' state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said in a report on Saturday.
The NDMA said intermittent rains are expected in KP with the risk of flooding in rivers Kabul, Swat and Panjkora as well as Kalpani and Bara streams.
It warned of the possibility of flooding and landslides in KP's Nowshera, Malakand, Swat, Dir and upper mountainous areas during this period.
'Heavy rainfall is expected in Islamabad and various cities of Punjab including Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Multan, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Muzaffargarh, Kot Addu, Taunsa, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan,' the report added.
The NDMA also warned of urban flooding risks in Punjab's Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and other cities, saying that the province's low-lying areas were particularly at risk of being submerged with water.
It said monsoon rains are also expected in Sindh's Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Thatta, Badin, Larkana, Jamshoro, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas districts.
'Urban flooding may occur in these areas due to rainfall, with the possibility of water accumulation on roads, streets and underpasses,' it added.
Monsoon season brings South Asia 70 to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, arriving in early June in India and late June in Pakistan, and lasting through until September.
The annual rains are vital for agriculture and food security, and the livelihoods of millions of farmers. But increasingly erratic and extreme weather patterns are turning the rains into a destructive force.
In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains combined with glacial melt submerged nearly a third of Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people and displacing over 8 million. In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms, including strong hailstorms.
Pakistan's Met Office warned in a press release on July 18 that monsoon currents penetrating Sindh and upper parts of the country are likely to 'intensify' in the upper and central parts of the country from July 20.
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