ISLAMABAD: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said on Tuesday 10 people had been killed and at least 21 were injured in rains and strong winds that lashed the region since June 11.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has also said the port city of Karachi and other parts of the southern Sindh province are likely to receive more than usual rainfall this monsoon season, with the onset of the rainy season expected between June 27 and 30.
“PDMA releases damage reports from rains, strong winds and thunderstorms in last 24 hours,” the authority said on its Twitter page. “Rains, strong winds kill four, injure 12, partially damage 3 houses.”
اپڈیٹس
۔پی ڈی ایم اے نےگزشتہ 24 گھنٹوں کےدوران با رشوں،تیز ہواؤں اورژالہ باری سےنقصانات کی رپورٹ جاری
بارشوں،تیز ہواؤں کےنتجے میں 4افراد جاں بحق جبکہ 12 افراد زخمی ہوئے،3مکانات کوجزوی نقصان پہنچا
ڈی جی پی ڈی ایم اے کی متعلقہ ضلعی انتظامیہ کوامدادی کاروائیاں تیزکرنے کی ہد ایات pic.twitter.com/r2ouTG9T4X— PDMAKP OFFICIAL (@pdmakpk) June 14, 2021
The rest of the deaths had occurred in different incidents in the province since June 11, the authority’s latest report showed.
The director general of the authority has directed the district administration “to expedite the relief operations.”
Every year, many cities in Pakistan struggle to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about poor planning. The monsoon season runs from July through September.
Last year, record-breaking heavy rain in Karachi in August killed over 100 people and disrupted the lives of many of the city’s more than 15 million residents as water flooded main roads and homes.
The city received its largest-ever-recorded rainfall total in a single day on August 24, when 230 mm (9 inches) of rain fall in just 12 hours, according to the Pakistan Meteorology Department.
Over the month, Karachi received 484 mm (19 inches) of rain, the highest total in at least 90 years.
After the havoc last year — with main roads submerged, sewage spewing from manholes and into homes, and power cuts lasting for hours — Prime Minister Imran Khan tasked the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) with sorting out the city’s drains.
The winds that drive Pakistan’s annual monsoon, which arrives from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, appear to be altering as a result of climate change, which could push more rainfall to Karachi — and less to key agricultural regions, climate scientists have said.