Drought alert issued for Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab amid water shortages

The Meteorological Department has issued a drought alert for Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab, as reported by national media on Tuesday. 

According to a report by Dawn News, the alert issued on Monday indicates that the drought situation will persist in the southern parts of Sindh and Balochistan, as well as in the lower eastern plains of Punjab. This alert has been issued despite recent rains, which have improved the drought situation in the central and upper parts of the country.

During March 2025, the average temperature in the lower half of the country was 2 to 3 degrees Celsius higher than normal. In some areas of the southern region, dry weather has continued for over 200 days.

From a meteorological and climate perspective, it is expected that the drought situation in the affected areas will worsen and intensify further.

In Sindh, moderate drought conditions are expected in areas such as Paddidan, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Khairpur, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, and Karachi, while light drought is likely in Ghotki, Jacobabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Khairpur, and Sanghar.

In Balochistan, the drought situation will remain moderate in Gwadar, Kech, Lasbela, Panjgur, and Awaran, while moderate drought conditions are expected in Chagai, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi, Sibi, Nushki, and Washuk.

In Punjab, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan are expected to be affected. The alert stated that the National Drought Monitoring and Early Warning Center (NDMC) of the PMD is monitoring the situation.

Due to the lack of rainfall and rising temperatures, flash droughts are also expected to emerge in the coming months, which could rapidly intensify due to changes in rainfall, temperature, wind, and radiation.

Considering the current weather conditions and climatic outlook, the drought situation in some parts of Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab is likely to worsen. From September 1, 2024, to March 21, 2025, the overall rainfall was 40% less than normal.

The rainfall deficit across the country was as follows: Sindh -62%, Balochistan -52%, Punjab -38%, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -35%, Azad Jammu & Kashmir -29%, and Gilgit-Baltistan -2%.

According to the PMD, there is a severe water shortage in the Tarbela and Mangla dams, and the water flowing in various rivers is at extremely low levels. The current water level in Tarbela Dam is 1402 feet, and in Mangla Dam, it is 1061.75 feet, both dams are at dead level.