ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to implement urgent measures for public safety amid torrential monsoon rains in many parts of Pakistan, state media reported on Monday.

Pakistan is recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts and this year recorded its “wettest April since 1961,” with 59.3 millimeters of rainfall and at least 144 deaths in thunderstorms and house collapses, mostly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, according to official data. 

“PM Sharif has directed the NDMA to take immediate measures for the protection of lives and properties of people in view of the torrential rains in the country,” Radio Pakistan said on Monday.

The PM issued directives to the NDMA to support all provincial governments as well as the Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan regions in dealing with emergencies and instructed the Islamabad administration to take measures for the proper drainage of rainwater.

Emphasizing greater coordination among the departments, Sharif called for continuous monitoring and timely evacuation of people from low-lying areas. He also ordered the supply of water pumps, machinery and timely provision of medical treatment to those in need. 

Earlier, the NDMA said fresh monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal were likely to remain in the country till Aug. 3, warning they could lead to heavy rains and flash floods in the Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces. 

In a press release issued on Sunday, the NDMA said the monsoon currents could trigger “heavy to hefty rainfall” in upper catchment areas of the western and eastern rivers from Jul. 28 to Aug. 4. 

“Flash flooding is expected in northeastern parts of Punjab including Deg, Basemter and Bein nullahs of River Ravi, Aik & Palku areas in catchment of Chenab as well as Neelum Valley, Muzafarabad, Rawalkot, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber of AJ&K while Mardan, Swat, Dir, Kohistan, Shangla and Malakand of Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” the NDMA said. 

It also warned of urban flooding in northern and northeastern parts of Punjab, such as Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Gujrat, Rawalpindi/Islamabad and surrounding areas. The disaster management authority warned that Sindh’s southern parts, including Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Karachi, could also face urban flooding.

“NDMA has issued instructions to all relevant departments to take necessary precautions to mitigate the possible effects of flooding and extreme weather,” the authority said, urging people living in flood-risk areas to migrate to other places for their safety. 

Last month, a UN official warned that an estimated 200,000 people in Pakistan could be affected by the upcoming monsoon season. 

Unusually heavy rains in June 2022 triggered flash floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting losses of around $30 billion on the economy, and affecting at least 30 million people.