Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall from August 1 to 4, with risks of urban flooding, flash floods and rising river flows in several parts of the country.

According to the latest flood bulletin issued on July 31, an approaching depression over India’s Madhya Pradesh, combined with monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, is expected to trigger a strong wet spell across southern Punjab, southeastern Sindh and eastern Balochistan.

The FFD said River Indus at Guddu and Sukkur is currently at medium flood level, while most other major rivers remain below low or low flood levels.

The department warned that River Chenab at Marala, Khanki and Qadirabad may rise from low to medium flood levels and could reach high flood level at Marala during the forecast period.

Flash flooding is expected in hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan, streams of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan. Urban flooding risks have also been highlighted for Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Jhelum, Gujrat, Narowal, Okara and Sahiwal.

In Sindh, prolonged waterlogging and urban flooding risks have been forecast for districts including Hyderabad, Badin, Jamshoro, Khairpur, Mirpur Khas, Thatta, Tharparkar, Umerkot and surrounding areas.

The current wet spell is expected to continue until August 4, with rainfall likely across upper river catchments, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and eastern Balochistan.