At a time when the country is struggling with an unprecedented rain and flood emergency, a lack of coordination between key departments came to the fore when two opposite state of weather situations were released by them, creating panic and confusion.

First, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) released a public alert on Friday, warning citizens of urban flooding in Karachi from Aug 30 till Sept 2. The forecast was broadcast and also widely shared on social media platforms.

While the alert caused widespread panic, especially against the backdrop of devastating floods in Punjab, the Pakistan Meteorological Department released its daily advisory, forecasting ‘partly cloudy and humid weather for Karachi during the next two days’ (Aug 30 and 31), but chose not to publicly contest the NDMA’s claim.

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