The Met Office on Monday advised the growers to take timely necessary measures to protect their crops and livestock while keeping in view the continued monsoon situation in the country. The office in its 10-advisory also urged the farmers of Cotton Belt to irrigate their crop as per requirement as rainy weather is likely to prevail on the belt after September 5.
Farmers are advised to stop irrigation of maize crop in the upper half areas, including the agricultural plains of Punjab and Khyber Pakhunkhwa as rain has been forecast. It said that during the hot and humid weather, farmers of the Cotton Belt are asked to take precautionary measures to safeguard their crop from pest attacks within the next 10 days.
Recent rains may accelerate the growth of weeds in standing crops, therefore farmers should take precautionary measures to destroy the unnecessary plants from their fields through manual methods or by spraying herbicides. The weather in Punjab is expected to trigger scattered rain/thundershower with isolated heavy falls over upper Punjab (Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala and Sargodha divisions) during the first five days of September.
While, the office said, widespread rain/thundershower with isolated heavy to very heavy falls over Punjab including Islamabad are expected from September 6. Khyber Pakhunkhwa is expected to receive scattered rain/thundershower with isolated heavy falls in its divisions including Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar and Kohat in the first five days of September. The province is also forecast to receive widespread rain/thundershowers with isolated heavy falls expected after September 5, the office said.
Weather in Sindh is mainly expected to remain hot and humid in most parts during the first five days of the month. However, the office forecast, widespread rain/thundershower with isolated heavy falls in the province after September 5. Balochistan is forecast to have largely hot and dry weather in most parts during the first five days of September the office said scattered rain/thundershower with isolated heavy falls is likely to hit the eastern parts of the province after September 5.
Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir are expected to receive scattered rain/thundershower with isolated heavy falls in the first five days of the month. The office said widespread rain/thundershower with isolated heavy to very heavy fall is expected over Kashmir after September 5. Mainly dry weather is expected in Gilgit-Baltistan during the first five days of the month. While, it said scattered rain/thunderstorms are expected in the Gilgit-Baltistan region after September 5.