The Chenab River is likely to enter the high-flood category over the next few days as heavy rainfall continues across the catchment areas of Indian-occupied Kashmir and Punjab, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and the Punjab Irrigation Department.
A senior Punjab Irrigation Department official said that the river was currently flowing at a medium flood level but could rise to high flood levels over the next three to four days if the forecast rainfall materialises in its catchment areas.
In its Monday flood bulletin, PMD’s Flood Forecasting Division (FFD), which monitors river flows and flood risks, warned that water levels in major rivers and seasonal streams were expected to rise significantly by July 24 due to a prevailing westerly weather system and a strong monsoon incursion from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
The FFD forecast high flood levels in the Chenab at Marala and the Jhelum upstream of Mangla, along with high flows in associated nullahs of the Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi rivers. It also warned of increased flows in the Kabul River and its tributaries.
The division said flash flooding was likely in the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan, streams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan, while urban flooding could affect Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Khushab, Sialkot, Gujrat, Narowal, Lahore, Okara, Sahiwal, Bahawalnagar and Faisalabad.
According to the FFD, the Indus was flowing at low and below-low levels at Tarbela, Kalabagh, Chashma, Taunsa, Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri.
Jhelum was at low to medium flood levels at Mangla and Rasul, while Chenab was flowing at medium to high flood levels at Marala, Khanki and Qadirabad. Ravi and Sutlej remained below low-flood levels.
