Pakistan expects heavy monsoon rain raising risk of floods

Islamabad (Reuters) – Heavy monsoon rain is expected to hit Pakistan on Monday and last for several days, the weather office said, raising the risk of flooding in areas still recovering from a devastating deluge last year.

Large swathes of the South Asian country were submerged last year due to extremely heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers, a phenomenon linked to climate change that damaged crops and infrastructure and killed at least 1,700 people.

Heavy thunder and rain was expected from Monday evening in the capital, Islamabad, as well as in the cities of Lahore and Peshawar, spreading to other areas until Saturday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said.

The weather office warned that flooding was possible in low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, and Lahore, with the risk of flash floods in hilly western areas late this week.

Pakistan has received commitments of more than $9 billion from international donors to help recover from last year’s floods with rebuilding efforts estimated to cost about $16.3 billion.