Fresh monsoon spell to lash Pakistan until August 5; PMD warns of urban flooding, landslides

ISLAMABAD -- The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast a fresh spell of monsoon rains across much of the country from July 29 to August 5, warning of urban flooding, flash floods and landslides as a new weather system is expected to intensify over the coming days.

In its latest advisory issued on Tuesday, the Met Office said moist monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are likely to penetrate the upper and central parts of the country from July 29, while a westerly wave currently affecting northern regions is expected to strengthen from August 1, bringing widespread rainfall to most upper and central areas.

The PMD warned that heavy to very heavy rainfall could trigger urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Nowshera, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad between July 30 and August 4.

The weather department also cautioned that persistent rainfall could cause landslides in vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Buner, Battagram, Mansehra, Haripur and Abbottabad, as well as in Gilgit-Baltistan, Murree, Galliyat and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from July 30 to August 5.

According to the advisory, the wet spell may also generate flash floods in local streams and nullahs across Kashmir, Murree, Galliyat, north-eastern Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan and north-eastern Balochistan during the forecast period.

The PMD urged tourists and travellers, particularly those planning visits to mountainous regions, to exercise extreme caution and remain updated on the latest weather advisories. Authorities have also been advised to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures to minimise the risk of weather-related emergencies.

The latest forecast comes as several parts of the country continue to recover from the previous spell of monsoon rains, which caused widespread flooding, disruption to daily life and damage to infrastructure in a number of areas.