Monsoon rains raise flood fears across Pakistan as river levels surge

Flooding intensified along the Chenab River on Sunday after an embankment gave way near Taranda Muhammad Panah, sending water into nearby settlements and submerging hundreds of acres of farmland.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) also warned of further heavy rain and rising flood risks across several parts of the country.

As per the Chenab River report, the Zamindarah Band (embankment) at Bait Pararah near Taranda Muhammad Panah collapsed, allowing floodwater to spread into residential areas. Dozens of villages were inundated, while hundreds of acres of cultivated land were submerged.

The PMD forecasts rain across Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday while warning of possible flash flooding in streams and rivers in Kashmir and Balochistan. It also cautioned that heavy rain, strong winds and lightning could damage weak buildings, while solar panels, electricity poles and roadside billboards could be affected by severe weather.

The report said water levels continued to rise in Punjab's rivers. Medium-level flooding was recorded at Khanki and Qadirabad on the Chenab River, while low-level flooding persisted at Balloki and Sidhnai on the Ravi River.

Low-level flooding was also reported at Kalabagh, Chashma and Taunsa on the Indus River, whereas the Jhelum and Sutlej rivers remained within their normal flow levels. At Wazirabad, Nala Palkhu recorded a flow of 4,600 cusecs, placing it at a medium flood level.

As per the report, the Sindh River started to overflow, the water level continued to rise, more than 10 villages of Kacha were affected, and the land connection with the city was cut off. The land connection of the villages of Ikhtiar Chachar, Kamal Chachar, Qubul Karim, Jam, and Badu Chachar was cut off. 

Meanwhile, water levels on the Indus River continued to increase at Guddu Barrage, where inflows reached 217,045 cusecs. Officials said the barrage had received an additional 44,324 cusecs of water over the previous 24 hours, with further increases expected during the next day.

Water experts said flows of up to 400,000 cusecs at Guddu Barrage were beneficial for irrigation requirements. However, they warned that if water levels exceeded 500,000 cusecs, low-lying riverine communities could face flooding.

Following the embankment breach in Taranda Muhammad Panah, the local administration ordered residents to evacuate immediately and issued public announcements urging them to move to safer locations. Many families began relocating on their own as floodwater surrounded homes and cut off unpaved access roads, leaving several residents stranded inside their houses.

Some residents complained that they had not received adequate assistance from the local administration. The Deputy Commissioner said a flood relief camp had been established at Government Boys High School Onran and urged affected families to move there or to other safe locations without delay.

Rains wreaked havoc in Narang Mandi, Lahore, as thousands of acres of rice crops were flooded. Dozens of villages were cut off from communication. Dozens of villages were flooded after the Nala Dik dam broke.

In Multan, two men were injured after the mud roof of the veranda at the Rana Goods Cargo Office near Head Noubahar collapsed during torrential rain. The injured, identified as 45-year-old Wazir and 40-year-old Naseer, were given first aid after the bamboo-and-reed roof gave way.

Islamabad remained partly cloudy, with rain forecast later in the evening. Temperatures were expected to reach 27C, while the PMD placed the probability of rainfall at 45% for Sunday.

The weather office also warned that heavy rain could lead to water accumulation in low-lying areas of Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Gujrat, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Jhang and Faisalabad. It repeated its warning that heavy rain, strong winds and lightning could damage vulnerable buildings, electricity infrastructure, solar panels and billboards.

In Karachi, cloudy skies were expected to bring further rainfall, while showers were forecast to continue across several cities in interior Sindh until Monday. The PMD warned of possible flooding in Badin, Hyderabad and nearby districts.

Karachi's temperature was expected to reach 35C, with south-westerly winds blowing at around 16 kilometres per hour. The department also warned that strong winds and lightning could damage solar panels, electricity poles and billboards in the city.

The Meteorological Department said a low-pressure weather system remained active over south-western Rajasthan and adjoining areas, while strong monsoon winds from the Arabian Sea continued to move into southern and central Pakistan. Moderate to heavy thunderstorms were forecast in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Badin, Mirpurkhas and surrounding districts, with the wet spell expected to continue until 27 July.

Reporters: Mehar Imran, Baseem Iftikhar, Zubair Ahmad, Yasir Arfat, Waseem Aziz, Ghulam Ali, Nayar Alam, Mir Zafarullah Bhutto, and Babar Shehzad Turk