Pakistan is Likely to Experience an Extreme Monsoon This Year

Federal Flood Commission (FFC) Chairman, Ahmad Kamal has informed the Senate’s Standing Committee on Water Resources that Pakistan is likely to experience an extreme monsoon starting in July this year.

Normal to above normal rain is expected in the northern parts including Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while normal and below normal rain is predicted for Sindh and Balochistan.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), as many as 49 districts throughout the country are prone to floods and landslides on different scales. Earlier, there were reports of a super flood this year.

According to the Met Office, “rainfall over the country as a whole for monsoon, 2019 (July-Sep) is likely to remain near normal”.

Province-Wise Breakdown

The breakdown of the provinces facing floods this year is as below:

13 – Sindh
10 – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
9 Gilgit-Baltistan
6 Balochistan
6 Punjab
5 Azad Kashmir

The districts facing the greatest risk of floods and landslides are listed below:

Sindh

Districts at a higher risk of flooding include Dadu, Ghotki, Jamshoro, Khairpur, Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot, Sajawal, and Thatta while Jacobabad, Kashmore, Shikarpur, Sukkur and Tando Muhammad Khan are also prone to floods this year.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, Chitral, Nowshera, Swat, and Upper Dir are likely to face flash floods from rains, melting of glaciers and water from seasonal drains.

The rains are also expected to trigger landslides in these districts: Charsadda, Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar, and Shangla have been identified as high-risk areas.