ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province is likely to receive monsoon showers till Sept. 9, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) director-general said on Sunday, as the death toll from floods since late August surged to 56.
Heavy monsoon rains and excess water released by Indian dams have caused Punjab’s rivers to swell, triggering floods in the province since late August, killing around 56.
Punjab is also home to half of the country’s 240 million people and accounts for much of its wheat and rice production, creating food security concerns as initial estimates suggest 1.3 million acres of agricultural land have been inundated in the province amid the flooding of the three rivers. Nationwide, the NDMA said 905 people have been killed in rain and flood-related incidents since the monsoon began on June 26.
“The 10th monsoon spell will continue until Sept. 9,” DG PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia told reporters during a news conference.
Kathia, however, added that the situation of rising water levels in Punjab’s rivers had “improved,” adding that the Sutlej river was recorded at a “stable” level in many areas.
