Met Office issues advisory to farmers

The Met Office has asked the farmers to complete Kharif crops by utilising all the existing moisture in the soil especially for maize in rain-fed areas of the country. Cotton growers should remain vigilant to the adverse effects of stagnant rainwater in the fields. "Mechanism for drainage of stagnant water from fields should be evolved on priority basis and necessary requirement in this regard should be taken," the office said. It also warned that the pest and viral attack besides robust growth of weeds were expected to hit sugarcane and other standing crops in upper parts of the country during monsoon rain.
"Farmers are therefore advised to take in time precautionary measures in this regard," it said, adding that growers of rain-fed areas using tube-wells for watering crops in upper parts should schedule irrigation. Rainfall and gusty winds after irrigation cause water logging of standing crops like maize, sugarcane and cotton. "Farmers should be very careful in this regard," it advised. Growers should take timely precautionary measures to protect their crops, livestock and other property from any expected heavy rain during the monsoon season.
Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of Punjab with isolated light to moderate falls are expected in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, D.G khan, Sargodha and Faisalabad divisions till August 15 and light to moderate rainfall in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Faisalabad, DG Khan and Lahore division from August 18 to August 20.
In Sindh, Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of Sindh with however light to moderate rainfall at few places including Karachi, Sukkur, Jacobabad and Hyderabad till August 14. Weather in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is likely to remain mainly dry weather with however scattered light to moderate rainfall in Peshawar, Kohat and Hazara division till August 16.
In most parts of Balochistan mainly hot and dry is expected with light to moderate rain at north-west Balochistan in Kalat, Khuzdar, Zhob, Sibbi, and Quetta till August 16. Rain-thunderstorm is expected in most parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Mainly cloudy weather is expected in most of the parts of Kashmir, however rain-thunderstorm at Muzzafarabad, Kotli and Rawalakot. Temperatures are likely to be slightly above normal in most of the agricultural plains with normal wind pattern till August 20 besides thunderstorm may gust up to 30 and 50 knots an hour.