Flash Floods Batter Pakistan as More Rain Looms
News Desk
Islamabad: Pakistan’s monsoon season has intensified, leaving a trail of flooding, damaged infrastructure and disrupted communities across several provinces, as authorities warn that the worst may still be ahead with another spell of heavy rainfall expected through July 23.
From Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to Punjab, Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), rising rivers, flash floods and overflowing streams have inundated homes, submerged schools, washed away roads and isolated entire villages, prompting fresh warnings from disaster management authorities.
In Khyber district, flash floods swept away two vehicles at separate locations. Rescue teams managed to save women and children travelling in the vehicles, while police said three people remain missing. In another incident near Zakaria Mosque in the Khoga Khel area, a car was carried away by floodwaters, but all occupants were rescued safely.
The swelling Chenab River has also raised concerns in central Punjab. At Head Qadirabad in Hafizabad, water inflows reached 138,000 cusecs against an outflow of 115,000 cusecs, resulting in a low-level flood and prompting authorities to closely monitor the river’s rising level.
In Layyah, the Indus River overflowed into the village of Samran Shib, inundating two government schools and causing extensive erosion along the riverbank. Hundreds of acres of standing crops have been destroyed, around 300 houses damaged, and more than five settlements, three mosques, electricity poles and other public infrastructure affected by the relentless flow of water.
In the Hassan Abdal region, flash floods once again damaged the community-built Kohliya Bridge, severing the only road connection for dozens of villages located along the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border. Residents have been left struggling to access markets, schools and healthcare facilities.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Neelum Valley, a cloudburst triggered sudden flooding as rivers and streams overflowed into residential areas. Several houses and shops were inundated, while vehicles, motorcycles, livestock and other property were swept away. Floodwaters also disrupted traffic on the main Neelum Highway.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast widespread thunderstorms and heavy rainfall in various parts of the country until July 25, warning of urban flooding in low-lying cities and rising water levels in rivers and streams through July 23.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has also issued an alert, warning that a strong monsoon system is likely to trigger flash floods, hill torrents and river flooding across Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
Authorities have cautioned that flood flows are expected in the upper Chenab and Jhelum river systems, while seasonal streams in Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Bhimber and Muridke may overflow. Heavy rainfall could also trigger flooding in the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Murree and the Galiyat region.
The NDMA further warned that water levels may rise significantly in the Kabul River and its tributaries, including the Panjkora, Swat and Chitral rivers, increasing the risk for communities living along riverbanks.
With fresh downpours forecast over the coming days, emergency authorities have urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert, avoid unnecessary travel and follow official advisories as Pakistan braces for another round of intense monsoon weather.
