ISLAMABAD – National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), a lead agency at Federal level to deal with whole spectrum of disaster management activities, has issued National Response Guidelines for Monsoon 2018.
The National Response Guidelines have been evolved keeping in mind impediments in response mechanism and experiences of past floods.
The preparedness phase for enhanced response mechanism in the guidelines exhort integrated and timely sharing of information and resource mapping in respective region to intimate NDMA in time.
It also suggested placement of earth moving machinery in vulnerable mountainous districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for timely clearance
of roads and landslides.
The NDMA has also issued National Monsoon Contingency Response Directive 2018, observing that neutral monsoon phase is likely to prevail during this Summer in the country.
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According to the National Monsoon Contingency Response Directive- 2018, all global models indicate that El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are expected to be in neutral phase during current summer year which would contribute to normal embedded summer monsoon rainfall with few extreme rainfall events in most parts of South Asia.
The national directive has given region-wise rainfall forecast as in northern part of the country rainfall is expected to remain normal to slightly above normal of long term average during first half of the season and below normal in second half.
In southern part, rainfall is expected to remain near normal of long term average during first half of the season and largely below normal during the second half.
The directive has also mentioned the prevailing temperatures trend in Pakistan indicates high probability of few extreme rainfall events in Punjab and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) events in Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Chitral regions during monsoon season.
It further suggested that in the view of Outlook of Summer Monsoon 2018 and already existing water shortage in the country the water managers should take measures to address the issue accordingly.
It also visualized monsoon contingencies as collective effect of monsoon rains, hydrological discharge of glacier melting, lopsided management of major water reservoirs, indifferent regulation of eastern river water and chocking of sewerage channels in major cities can result into low level Riverine Flood, Flash Flood in hill torrents or historical flash floods sites, landslides, avalanches, GLOF in areas vulnerable to such hazards while Urban flooding in metropolitans.
Meanwhile, Provincial Disaster Management Authorities have also prepared a contingency plan for upcoming monsoon season in coordination with NDMA.
