LAHORE: Rain in the Sialkot region swelled tributaries of the Chenab and Ravi rivers on Wednesday as the Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) predicted a sharp peak of short duration in the Jhelum at Mangla upstream in the next 24 hours.

It said chances of heavy rains over the upper catchments of the eastern rivers had diminished for the time being as the monsoon low over India, which was expected to cause the showers, had weakened and was likely to re-curve towards its north-eastern side.

The earlier expected rains could have generated floods in the rivers, it said, adding that now rain was likely over the plains areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 24 hours.

The present spell of rains was expected to decrease by Saturday, said the forecast.

Meanwhile, the Indus at Kalabagh and Chashma was in low flood and the FFD forecast flash flooding in the tributaries of the rivers Chenab and Ravi along with hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan and Kohat divisions in the next 24 hours.

The Met department reported that Sialkot received heavy rain (cantonment 95mm, airport 34), Mandi Bahauddin 76, Islamabad (Saidpur 71, Golra 62, zero point 35), Bokra 20, Joharabad 64, Faisalabad 62, Rawalpindi (Shamsabad 53, Chaklala 52), Jhang 52, Chakwal 41, Lahore (Jail Road 30, airport 16), Sargodha 29, Noorpur Thal 27, Sahiwal 22, Bhakkar 21, Mangla 17, Gujranwala 12, Jhelum 6, Bahawalnagar 5, Dera Ghazi Khan and Gujrat 3, Murree 1, Bannu 39, Dir 11, Malam Jabba 9, Balakot 6, Saidu Sharif, Kakul and Kotli 4 and Rawalakot 2mm.

The Met department has forecast rain-thunderstorm accompanied by gusty winds with isolated heavy falls in several areas in Kashmir, Punjab and Islamabad in the next 24 hours. Rain is also expected at scattered places in KP, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Sukkur and Larkana divisions in Sindh, Zhob, Sibbi and Naseerabad divisions in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

It says heavy downpour may trigger flash floods in the vulnerable areas of Punjab and landslides and glacier lake outburst floods in similar areas of KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2016