Soaring temperatures prompt PMD to issue GLOF alert for Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

 The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) cautions that persistently high temperatures will significantly accelerate snow and glacier melt in the glaciated valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Consequently, river and stream water levels are anticipated to remain lofty whereas, existing glacial lakes could expand even more due to excess melt water

The PMD also warns the destabilization of natural ice or moraine dams which not only increases the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) but also reinforces the rapid expansion of glacial lakes.

 Low-lying areas near riverbeds and residents in downstream areas are also at a high risk of facing the threat of sudden flooding.

Furthermore, heavy mudflows, debris flows and landslides are more likely to happen in steep mountainous terrain.

Also Read: Weather alert: PMD forecasts drizzle in Karachi, intense heat to grip Lahore

Authorities advise all residents and visitors to avoid camping or trekking in high-risk areas and to refrain from riverbanks, streams, glacial lakes, narrow mountain valleys, and unstable slopes.

Earlier this month, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) found around 130 potentially dangerous glacial lakes that could threaten downstream settlements. Amid the ongoing extreme temperatures, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's health department directed hospitals to establish heatwave emergency units to manage cases of sunstroke.