ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has predicted more rainfall and thundershowers in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the next 48 hours, state-run media reported on Wednesday, as monsoon downpours continue to lash parts of the South Asian country. 

At least 44 people have been killed and 88 injured in rain-related incidents in the province so far, the provincial disaster management authority in KP said. 

“NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Center anticipated that rainfall and thundershowers were expected in most parts of the province over the next 24 to 48 hours,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. 

It said chances of heavy rainfall were expected in the Hazara and Malakand, Bannu, Peshawar, Kohat, Swabi, Swat, Mansehra, Haripur, Dera Ismail Khan divisions of the province and their surrounding areas.

The statement advised people to stay informed by keeping track of weather updates and alerts through the “Pak NDMA Disaster Alert Application” which provides timely alerts, adviseries and guidelines to the public.

The NDMA issued instructions to all relevant departments to take necessary precautions to mitigate the possible effects of floods and extreme weather.

Pakistan is recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change effects in the world. Last month, a United Nations official warned that an estimated 200,000 people in Pakistan could be affected by the ongoing monsoon season.

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

The arrival of the monsoon season has also sparked floods and landslides across South Asia,, with at least 195 killed and almost 200 missing in one disaster in neighboring India.