PESHAWAR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has issued an advisory cautioning about threats of glacial lake outburst nood and nash noods in Chitral district.

The advisory, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said the Pakistan Meteorological Department had declared that the rain bearing weather system was likely to persist in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral from July 14 to July 19.

It said the rains had the potential to produce GLOFs and flash floods and in particular Bagrot area of GB and Bindogol and Golain valleys of Chitral, where the PMD had pilot GLOF sites, as well as their surroundings. It said that local communities had been advised to remain alert and the relevant authorities should take precautionary measures.

It also asked community leaders to request to translate this alert in Urdu and display it on notice board for information to all community members.

PMD regional director Mushtaq Shah told Dawn that the monsoon rains were expected to hit Peshawar,Mardan and Hazara division as well as parts of Malakand division.

He said there was a possibility that some areas would witness higher percentage of rains, which could trigger flooding in local streams, and therefore, the PMD issued the weather alert.

Mr. Shah said Chitral, Shangla and Swat in Malakand division were somewhat vulnerable to flash floods but the flooding was unlikely to happen in Upper and Lower Dir districts.

`The problem with Chitral is that deforestation and grazing has rendered the mountainous slopes barren so rains of slight proportion lead to heavy flooding,` he said.

The PMD official said the rainwater usually came down at very high speed in the absence of vegetative cover and tress carrying mud and debris with it and thus, causing destruction.

He said the situa-tion was somewhat similar to that in Shangla and Chitral districts.

Mr. Shah said inChitral, rains, which were recorded up to 30 millimeters until now, were causing heavy flooding, while in the past, rains even up to 50-60 millimeters didn`t cause that much harm.

Sartaj Ahmed Khan, chairman of the `Save Chitral, Save Pakistan` campaign, said Chitral district faced the existential crisis due to climate change.

He said almost all the areas were facing high level of threats either due to flash floods or GLOFs.

Mr. Sartaj said Kalash valleys were at the threat of flash floods, while other areas in the district, including Reshun, Booni, Golain and several other villages, could face GLOFs.

He criticised the provincial government for `failing` to devise strategy to prevent flooding in Chitral.

`Our district has been facing flooding for some years, which killed many people. However, theauthorities are focusing their attention only on the provision of blankets, tents and other items to the affected people instead of taking concrete steps to minimise disaster threats,` he said.

Chitral district was badly hit by flash floods caused by torrential rains and GLOFs earlier last summer, which killed 36 people and injured scores.

Earlier on July 2 night, 28 people were killed in flash flood-hit Ursoon village close to Pak-Afghan border in southwestern part of the district.

Five people, who were washed away in Ursoon floods, are still missing, while the bodies of two people, including a woman, were handed over to the district administration by the Afghan authorities at Arandu check post on Wednesday morning.

The Chitral deputy commissioner was not available for comments.

-Manzoor Ali