Heavy monsoon rains kill 160 people in Pakistan

Monsoon rains continue to wreak havoc across Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), increasing the death toll to at least 160, Express News reported on Saturday.

The downpour, termed as one of the heaviest ever, started on Wednesday and has since continued to lash certain parts of the country.

Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Major General Muhammad Saeed Aleem briefed the Prime Minister about the ongoing relief activities and measures being taken at the district, provincial and national levels to cope with the emergent situation.

Areas in Punjab, PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan have been affected by the rains and flooding.

Lahore and Rawalpindi divisions are experiencing serious urban flooding. There is also flooding in Chenab and Jhelum while canals, especially in Gujranwala and Rawalpindi, are also flooded, Aleem said.

Flood level in Jhelum river and Mangla reservoir is exceptionally high while the flood level at Rasul Headworks, a dam in Punjab, is at medium level.

The Prime Minister was informed that Palandri (in PoK) had received 668 mm of rain, Islamabad got 316 mm, Rawalpindi 440 mm, Lahore 350 mm while Sialkot received 316 mm of rainfall during the last 48 hours, resulting in flashfloods in PoK and northeast Punjab.

Sharif directed that evacuation of people and livestock should be carried out immediately while all national highways be opened for traffic by Saturday night.

The incessant rains have wreaked havoc, affecting the urban infrastructure in Pakistan that regularly suffers from flooding during the monsoon season.

The floods of 2010 were the worst in the country’s history, with 1,700 people killed and 21 million affected. In 2013, 178 people were killed and around 1.5 million affected by flooding.

Pakistan, like neighboring India, suffers widespread flooding during the annual monsoon season. In 2010, flash floods killed 1,700 people in Pakistan.