ISLAMABAD River Indus at Taunsa is likely to attain exceptionally high flood level ranging from 850,000 to 950,000 cusecs during the next 24-48 hours. Under this scenario, inundation and further riverside flooding in low-lying areas of districts Bhakkar, Layya, Muzaffargarh, DG Khan and Rajanpur is expected. River Indus is flowing in exceptionally high flood with falling trend at Chashma and is in very high flood with falling trend at Kalabagh. It is also in very high flood with rising trend at Taunsa. River Kabul is in medium flood stage with falling trend at Warsak, whereas River Jhelum is experiencing medium flood with falling trend in Mangla-Rasul reach. According to official figures, Tarbela and Mangla Dams are at elevations of 1526.22 feet and 1206.00 feet, respectively, which are 23.78 feet and 4.00 feet below their respective maximum conservation levels of 1550.00 feet and 1210.00 feet. As predicted by flood forecasting department, Lahore, fairly widespread thunderstorm/rain with moderate to heavy falls at isolated places is expected over lower Sindh and scattered thundershower/rain is expected over Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, upper Sindh, northeast Balochistan and Kashmir. Scattered thunderstorm/rain is also expected over upper catchments of Rivers Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej including Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore and Bahawalpur Divisions during the next 24 hours. River Indus at Guddu is likely to attain high flood levels of 500,000 to 600,000 cusecs on August 03 and exceptionally high flood levels of 950,000 to 1,050,000 cusecs on August 06. Under this scenario, the inundation and riverside flooding in low lying areas of districts Ghotki and Sukkur is expected. River Indus at Sukkur is also likely to attain high flood level ranging 500,000 to 600,000 cusecs on August 04 and exceptionally high flood level ranging 900,000 to 1,000,000 cusecs on August 07 due to which, inundation and riverside flooding of low lying areas of districts Sukkur, Larkana, Nawabshah, Hyderabad and Nausheroferoze is expected. Agencies add: According to the Irrigation Department, the embankments of the Taunsa Barrage are being constantly supervised, where the rising water level has caused to surge in Layyahs F North Bund by one foot. Layyah Javed Iqbal said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has provided a helicopter to inspect the affected areas. Meanwhile, Section-144 has been imposed in Rahim Yar Khan in view of flooding in coming two days. According to DCO Rahim Yar Khan, the city is under imminent risk of being inundated. He said a tide of 800,000 cusecs of water was currently passing through Chachran Sharif because of which the administration had been on a red alert. The DCO said the people adamant in staying back in the flooded areas would be evacuated through force. As a fresh deluge is approaching Rajanpur, the district administration stepped up relief and rescue operation with main focus on evacuating the people from 102 villages facing immediate threat. The flood has already caused enormous loss to the people and the fresh flooding would compound their miseries. 44 boats were busy in shifting stranded people to safer places from the flood-hit areas and DCO Iftikhar Rasool said almost 27,700 people had been evacuated from 483 flood-hit villages so far. Around 25 relief camps have been set up to cope with the fresh deluge where medicines and snakebite kits are made available in addition to the food items. On the other hand, River Indus inundated scores of villages in Katcha area in Sindh while the water level is rising continuously in Guddu Barrage, whereas, a low flash flood was passing through the area while a higher degree of flash flood is expected to pass through the barrage on August 6. Water level in the barrage may increase to between 950,000 cusecs and 1050,000 cusecs. A flash flood with an intensity of between 900,000 to 1,000,000 cusecs is expected to pass through the Sukkur Barrage on August 7. Irrigation experts say the passage of 900,000 to 1,000,000 cusecs of water can be detrimental for barrage. Keeping in view the alarming situation in the province, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has requested Navy to shift their Search and Rescue (SAR) teams from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to Sukkur. Subsequently, the SAR teams are being sent to Karachi for further deployment at Sukkur. Relief camps have been established in the areas of Sukkur, Rohri, Pannu Aqil, Ghotki and Guddu while people are being shifted to safer places. Army contingents were deployed in various districts of the province keeping in view the potential flooding. At least 1,800 to 2,000 troops have been sent to seven districts including Kashmore, Larkana, Nawabshah, Thatta, Jamshoro, Dadu and Noshehro Feroz. As a precautionary measure, holidays of all government employees in Thatta were also called off in view of potential flooding in the district. Provincial Minister for Fisheries Zahid Bhargari said high floods posed threat for the population of Hyderabad, Qasimabad and Latifabad, which had been declared as unsafe. He said the Irrigation Department would be responsible for any probable damage. Meanwhile, DG Pakistan Meteorological Department Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry has warned of high-level flood in River Indus at Guddu and Sukkur Barrage from August 3 to August 7. He said the Guddu Barrage was likely to attain high-level flood ranging between 500,000 cusecs to 600,000 on August 3 besides an exceptionally high level ranging between 950,000 to 10,50,000 cusecs on August 6. According to hydrological data, River Indus at Sukkur may attain high level flood ranging between 500,000 to 600,000 cusecs on August 4 while the exceptionally high level flood of 900, 000 to 10,00,000 is likely on August 7. The inundation is likely to affect low-lying areas of district Sukkur, Larkana, Nawab Shah, Hyderabad and Noshehro Feroz during the period. The flood peak 7,00,000 to 8,00,000 cusecs exceptionally high flood level will pass from Kotri around on August 11. Such high level-flooding situation has occurred in the country after 80 years. The Met office has predicted more monsoon rains in the current week as a fresh monsoon area developing in Bay of Bengal now lies over central parts of India. Under this system, Sindh, Punjab, Kashmir, eastern parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan would receive rain at times heavy, during this week starting from Monday. Meanwhile, as many as 17 people drowned when a rescue boat capsized in floodwater near Bait-Hinjranu village of Tehsil Kot Addu of District Muzaffargarh. The boat being utilised by the volunteers overturned owing to overloading as a result of which 26 people drowned in the floodwater but the eyewitnesses managed to rescue nine of them. Soon after receiving the information, Army rescue teams reached the site while the divers were trying their best to recover the dead bodies. In another incident, three volunteers drowned in floodwater while rescuing the people near Sultanpur village in District Jhang. On the other hand, the water level is persistently rising at Taunsa Barrage, inundating over 40 localities in District Muzaffargarh raising the number of total deluged villages and localities to over 200. The relief and rescue activities by the Army were afoot to winch to safety the people stranded in the flood tide. In Chhatro, flooding has left several families marooned while the Army personnel are continuing efforts for their rescue. Meanwhile, 150 people riding a boat at Kotla Mirani in Indus River, has not been rescued so far.