Drought-like conditions emerge in Pakistan due to scarce rainfall

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 22 (ANI): Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Wednesday issued an alert about emerging drought conditions in the country after scarce rainfall, Ary News reported.
Ary News cited Pakistan's Met Office which stated that drought conditions emerged in the country as Pakistan received below-normal rainfall (-40 per cent) for the time period from September 1, 2024 to January 15, 2025.
It was reported that Sindh received 52 per cent lesser rainfall during the period, the PMD said in its report about drought conditions.
Notably, despite the recent rainfall spell in the country, the rains did not prove significant in the plain areas of Pakistan, thereby aggravating the drought conditions.
After Sindh, Balochistan received 45 per cent and Pakistan's Punjab 42 per cent lesser rainfall, PMD said.
Ary News reported that Pakistan's Met department cautioned that mild drought-like conditions have emerged over different areas of the country.
In Punjab, mild drought conditions observed in the Potohar region (Attock, Chakwal, Rawalpindi/Islamabad), Bhakkar, Layyah, Multan, Rajanpur, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur,
Faisalabad, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali and DG Khan districts.
In Sindh province, drought-like conditions have emerged in most areas of Ghotki, Jacobabad, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Padidan, Sukkur, Khairpur, Tharparkar, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin and Karachi.
In Balochistan, drought-like conditions have emerged in Ormara, Kharan, Turbat, Kech, Panjgur, Awaran, Lasbella, Nokkundi, Dalbandin and adjacent areas.
The PMD said that ongoing drought conditions are likely to aggravate further as no significant rainfall is expected in rain-fed areas of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, Ary News reported.
As per Ary News, the Met department has also viewed the second half of this season, January to March, as dry compared to the first half, also the above normal temperatures forecast may favour the turning of mild drought conditions to moderate drought, especially in the rain-fed areas of country. (ANI)