PDMA warns of possible flooding in several KP districts from April 7 to 8

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Monday issued a flood advisory for multiple districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for April 7 and 8, warning that the Kabul River at Nowshera could reach low to medium flood levels during the period.

In the advisory sent to deputy commissioners in several districts, the authority said the latest analysis by the meteorological department indicated that the Kabul River in Nowshera was likely to experience low to medium flooding. Flash floods were also expected in tributaries linked to the river, as well as in Kohat Toi, the Kurram River and the Gomal River.

The PDMA also cautioned that urban flooding could occur in Peshawar, Mardan and Nowshera during the same period.

The authority directed district administrations to adopt precautionary steps to prevent loss of life and minimise damage to infrastructure, crops and livestock. It asked all relevant departments to identify vulnerable locations and communities at risk, prepare mitigation and safety plans, maintain a heightened state of alert and closely monitor the evolving situation in order to improve response times.

It further instructed Rescue 1122 and civil defence authorities to stay on alert and ensure that personnel and equipment remain available throughout the forecast period, particularly in vulnerable areas.

According to the advisory, residents living along the banks of the Kabul River, its tributaries and nullahs should be informed about the possibility of flash flooding and rising water flows. The authority also called for the timely evacuation of people from low-lying and flood-prone areas in line with evacuation plans, and stressed the need to ensure the availability of shelter, food and medicines at relief camps.

The PDMA also asked authorities to limit vehicle movement in low-lying and high-risk areas near the Kabul River and connected water channels.

Rain and thunderstorm forecast across the province

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast “widespread rain-windstorm/thunderstorm (snowfall over mountains)” in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Shangla, Buner, Kohistan, Malakand, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Balakot, Haripur, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Swabi, Charsadda, Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and Waziristan from April 6 to April 9, with occasional gaps.

The advisory comes as the province has already suffered significant losses from recent weather-related incidents. According to the PDMA, at least 45 people have been killed and 105 others injured across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in rain-related incidents since March 25.

“widespread rain-windstorm/thunderstorm (snowfall over mountains)”

The latest warning adds to concerns over weather-related risks in the province, particularly in riverine, low-lying and urban areas identified by the authorities as vulnerable during the forecast period.