ISLAMABAD: The chief of Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik visited Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) on Sunday to review preparations for the ongoing monsoon season, state media reported, as the country braces for glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in its northern regions.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned on July 11 that a fresh westerly weather system is expected to trigger heavy rains and thunderstorms in GB and Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province this month, increasing the risk of GLOFs.
Pakistan’s GB region is home to several glaciers and glacial lakes in a mountainous terrain. Every year during the summer and monsoon seasons, authorities warn that warmer temperatures melt ice while heavy rains increase the water level in already swollen glacial lakes, triggering floods.
During his visit to GB on Sunday, Malik reviewed “district-wise readiness,” early warning systems, rescue and relief capacities, evacuation plans and coordination mechanisms for flash floods, GLOFs, landslides, and riverine flooding in vulnerable valleys, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“The chairman emphasized timely implementation of contingency plans, prepositioning of relief stocks and strengthening of community awareness in high-risk areas,” Radio Pakistan said.
The NDMA chairman directed the GB Disaster Management Authority to ensure seamless coordination with district administrations and all relevant stakeholders for a swift and effective response, it added.
Malik reiterated the NDMA’s full support to GB authorities in enhancing resilience against hydro-meteorological hazards, including floods, avalanches, storms and landslides triggered by rain.
Authorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province are also bracing for floods, with the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warning on Saturday that water levels in rivers Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi may increase substantially from July 20-24 due to heavy monsoon showers.
Pakistan is recognized by experts as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change effects. Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik said in May that the last four major floods across the country have killed over 6,000 people, and about 20,000 have either suffered injuries or been disabled by climate-induced floods.
