Flood situation in Sindh

Another spell of rains which may be heavy to very heavy at places is beginning mainly over Sindh from Monday (today) evening, adding to the miseries of the people already battered by two earlier rounds of devastating downpours.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said on Sunday the rains would be coupled with strong winds and they were likely to affect Badin, Mirpur Khas, Umar Kot, Thatha and Hyderabad.

According to synoptic situation, the fearful monsoon low over western Bihar moved west-northwest wards on Sunday and lay over northern Madhya Pradesh (India) as a well marked monsoon low.

Weak moist current from the Bay of Bengal was penetrating into Sindh up to 4000 feet and was likely to intensify during the next 24 hours.

Flood Forecasting Division’s chief Riaz Khan said that the system was still away from Pakistan. But it gained strength on Sunday and was likely to move over to Indian Rajasthan, which was closer to Pakistan, in the next 24 hours.

If this happened, the system might start affecting lower Sindh by Monday evening or on Tuesday. But as moisture from the system was already penetrating into Sindh and Punjab, there could be scattered rain at a few places in these two provinces in the next 24 hours.

Mr Khan said that the strength or rain generating potential of the system was not less than the one which just dissipated on Sunday after playing havoc in Sindh for nearly 13 days.

Met department’s evening forecast said that fairly widespread thunderstorm/rain with heavy to very heavy falls was expected at isolated places over Sindh and East Balochistan from Tuesday. Scattered thunderstorm/rain with heavy falls at isolated places was also forecast over south Punjab.