Three die, crops destroyed as torrential rains batter large swathes of country

As many as three people died in Okara while crops grown over thousands of acres of land in the katcha area were inundated after the River Indus burst its banks near Matyari, Sindh, while, on the other hand, heavy monsoon showers again lashed different parts of Sindh and Punjab on Thursday, flooding low-lying areas and suspending power supply, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.  

Rains were also reported from Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and northern and central parts of Kashmir, leading to a slight rise in water levels in streams.  

In Okara, three people, a woman and her two sons, were killed after the roof of their house caved in due to persistent rainfall.

In Matyari, farmers suffered a colossal loss after their crops were destroyed due to the floodwaters, while residents of the area had to leave their homes in search of safe places.   

Meanwhile, the weather department on Thursday predicted that Karachi would receive up to 200 millimeters of rain during the next three days from the monsoon low that lay over the Arabian Sea, 260 kilometers south-east of the port city.   

On the other hand, it kept pouring in the city after intervals, inundating roads.  

Other cities of Sindh, including Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad also received downpours.

In Mirpurkhas, the rain that lasted for five hours left several localities of the city under several feet of water.

The city received 160 millimeters of rain in 36 hours.

Similar was the situation in Hyderabad while in many districts of the province, educational institutions were closed for two days.

Stormy rains also resulted in a deluge in over 100 villages on the outskirts of Mehar.

Likewise, it also rained cats and dogs in Lahore and other Punjab cities.

On the other hand, the weather department said that more rains, accompanied by strong winds, were expected in Sindh cities, including Karachi, during the next two to three days.

The department said that showers were likely in Tharparkar, Nangarparkar, Islamkot, Mithi, Mirpurkhas, Umarkot, Tando Allah Yar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Matyari, Sanghar, Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Shaheed Benazirabad, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Ghotki, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Khairpur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Dadu and Naushero Feroze.

Similarly, it predicted rains, heavy at a few places, for the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and the cities of Punjab namely Murree, Galyat, Attock, Chakwal, Talagang, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Sahiwal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sab, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Okara, Pakpattan, Kasur, Khushab, Sargodha, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Muzzafargarh, Kot Addu, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Khanpur and Rahim Yar Khan.

The department forecast torrential rains for Murree, Galyat, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, Talagang, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Sargodha, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan and Faisalabad.

The Met Office said that the weather would remain cloudy in most districts of KP; however, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Buner, Swabi, Nowshera, Mardan, Malakand, Peshawar, Kohat, Mohmand, Khyber, Bajaur, Charsadda, Hangu, Kurram, Waziristan, Parachinar, Karak, Bannu and Dera Ismael Khan.  

It forecast heavy rain at isolated places in the province.

Likewise, it said that most areas in the north-east and south of Balochistan would receive thundershowers.

The weather department also predicted rains for most parts of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The department warned that downpours could lead to an inundation of low-lying areas in Sindh, Balochistan and southern Punjab.

Further elaborating, it said that floods were feared in drains and streams of Dera Ghazi Khan, Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Kalat, Khuzdar, Jaafarabad, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Barkhan, Loralai, Awaran, Panjgur, Washik, Mastung and Lasbela.

The department also predicted landslides in the mountainous areas namely Murree, Galyat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

It warned that urban flooding was expected in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan and Sahiwal, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Nowshera, Swabi and Peshawar.

Reporters: Muhammad Iftikhar, Safeer Raza, Rozeena Ali, Maida Waheed, Malik Shahid Tabassum, Zubair Awan, GR Junejo, Ibrahim Rind, Irshad Qureshi, Fahad Raja and Shahzad Ahmad