Web Desk: Heavy monsoon rains have triggered flash floods in Islamabad, while the Met Department issues warnings for other cities and mountainous regions.
Following a warning from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), an intense monsoon spell has caused flash floods in Islamabad, with streams from the Margalla Hills overflowing and submerging low-lying areas in Chak Shahzad and on Park Road.
The PMD has warned that this weather system could bring more torrential downpours, placing low-lying areas in several other major cities at risk of flooding.
While most of the country is expected to remain hot and humid, the PMD has forecasted rain with strong winds and thunderstorms for Upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Kashmir. This poses a serious flood risk for low-lying areas in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, and Sialkot.
Local residents in Islamabad have expressed frustration, with one saying, "We've repeatedly informed the administration, but no one has come to help us yet."
In mountainous regions, the danger is even more pronounced. The heavy rainfall is expected to increase water flow in streams across Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Murree, Galiyat, and Kashmir.
The PMD has also issued an alert for a high risk of landslides in the mountainous areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Murree, and Galiyat, which could disrupt traffic.
This monsoon season is a critical test for urban and rural disaster management. As the weather conditions intensify, there is a clear and urgent need for coordinated action to protect lives and property from both urban flooding and the threats posed by landslides in the country's northern regions.
