ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s disaster management and weather authorities have warned of heavy rains, flash floods, landslides and possible urban flooding across large parts of the country starting today, Tuesday, as officials urged residents and tourists to avoid unnecessary travel in vulnerable areas.
The warnings come as Pakistan remains on high alert for extreme weather events linked to climate change, less than four years after catastrophic floods submerged large parts of the country, affected 33 million people and killed more than 1,700. The 2022 disaster caused billions of dollars in damage and was described by the United Nations as a climate catastrophe. Last year too, unusually heavy monsoon rains and flash floods killed over 1,000 people and affected around 7 million, underscoring the country’s continued vulnerability to extreme weather.
Pakistan is considered one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists have linked increasingly erratic rainfall, heat waves, glacier melt and extreme monsoon events in South Asia to rising global temperatures.
“Rain and hailstorms are expected in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Buner, Malakand, Battagram, Mansehra and Abbottabad during this period [June 2-5],” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in an alert issued for the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
PDMA warned that the rains could trigger landslides in mountainous districts and cause streams and seasonal waterways to overflow, while flash flooding was also feared in several northern areas.
“There is also a risk of flash flooding in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Malakand, Buner, Abbottabad and Kohistan due to the rains,” the authority said.
The agency cautioned that urban flooding was possible in Peshawar, Mardan and Nowshera, while strong winds and hailstorms could damage weak structures, electricity poles and solar panels. Farmers were advised to take precautionary measures to protect standing crops.
District administrations were directed to place rescue teams on alert, ensure emergency resources were available and keep major highways open, while tourists were advised against unnecessary travel in affected regions.
Separately, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said a westerly weather system was expected to enter the country’s upper regions on June 2 and remain active through June 5, bringing scattered thunderstorms, heavy rainfall and hailstorms to parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Balochistan and Sindh.
The Met Office also warned that landslides could occur in vulnerable mountainous areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir between June 3 and June 6 and advised travelers to remain “extra cautious” during the forecast period.
