The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued an urban flood warning for a number of major cities in Pakistan, predicting possible flooding as a result of heavy rainfall from June 25 through July 1.
The areas at risk are Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Bagh, Rawalakot, and Muzaffarabad.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast thunderstorms and heavy rainfall to occur in parts of the country over the next five days.
It has also predicted thunderstorms in parts of Sindh including Sukkur, Larkana, Hyderabad, Karachi, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, and Badin between June 25 and 28.
The NDMA has instructed residents of these areas to take protective measures to ensure safety.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, locations like Chitral, Dir, Haripur, Kohat, Kohistan, Khyber, Kurram, Mansehra, Nowshera, Malakand, Abbottabad, Bannu, Buner, Hazara, Peshawar, Swabi, and Swat are likely to experience the same weather until July 1.
Thunderstorms will also occur in Gilgit-Baltistan, including Astore, Skardu, Hunza, Shigar, Diamer, Nagar, Ghizer, and Ghanche.
NDMA also alerted against potential landslides in Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and KP mountainous areas. Authorities advise individuals to avoid fragile buildings, trees, electric poles, and billboards during storms, and to park vehicles in safe spots to prevent damage. Visibility can also decrease during storms, leading to increased chances of accidents.
Earlier, heavy monsoon rains pounded Rawalpindi and Islamabad twin cities, Kotli, Muzaffarabad, Gujrat, Sialkot and other north Punjab cities, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Wednesday, making the weather pleasant, sources said.
The rain in Rawalpindi and Islamabad led the authorities to declare a rain emergency.
The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) was placed on red alert while the Nullah Lai and other drains were observed for water levels.
