NDMA issues a warning that Pakistan will experience heavy rains and urban flooding from July 19-23.

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a nationwide alert warning of severe monsoon rains, flash floods, river surges and urban flooding in numerous parts of the country from July 19 to 23.

As per the NDMA, an intense monsoon system coupled with a strong westerly weather trend is likely to strike Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and upper Punjab between July 20 and 23, with some places receiving torrential rains.

The weather system could lead to flash floods and overflowing of highland torrents.

The authorities warned there was a possibility of heavy flood flows in Chenab River at Marala and the upper levels of Jhelum River at Mangla.

The water levels in the Kabul River and its tributaries, especially the Panjkora, Swat and Chitral rivers, are also projected to rise, making flooding more likely.

The NDMA cautioned that flash flooding may occur in Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Muridke, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Murree, Galliyat, Lower Chitral, Upper and Lower Dir, Malakand, Shangla, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Gilgit-Baltistan and other regions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

It also warned of urban flooding risk in low-lying districts of Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Lahore and Sheikhupura and other towns.

The NDMA has asked all concerned departments to maintain emergency machinery and rescue personnel on high alert and recommended public to refrain from needless travel during the projected time

Residents have also been cautioned to avoid rain-fed waterways, submerged roadways, riverbanks and landslide-prone locations.

The authorities urged the people to use the Pak NDMA Disaster Alert App for official updates, meteorological information and safety recommendations.