ISLAMABAD: The disaster management authority in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province on Wednesday issued new guidelines for the installation of solar systems, citing that over 70 percent of accidents related to solar panels were reported during a thunderstorm last month. 

Thunderstorms killed at least 21 people and injured more than 100 others in Punjab late last month as moist currents penetrated upper parts of Pakistan, according to national and provincial disaster management authorities.

Earlier this week, the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued a fresh alert for rain and strong, dusty winds across the province from June 2 to June 5. 

“During the thunderstorm on May 24, there were 124 small and large accidents in Punjab,” PDMA spokesperson Mazhar Hussain told Arab News. 

“When this was analyzed, it was revealed that over 70 percent of the accidents have been caused by solar panels or related structures,” he added. 

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said new guidelines and a regulatory framework were prepared by stakeholders, including the province’s energy department and the local government department.

“These instructions are aligned with the national framework provided by the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), and include essential safety protocols, installation standards and the responsibilities of certified installers,” Kathia explained. 

According to the guidelines seen by Arab News, the PDMA has directed users to procure the services of AEDB-certified installers to ensure a professional solar system design and so that the panels are properly mounted, sealed and structurally reinforced.

Along with other technical details, the PDMA stresses people to use wind-rated mounting systems attached to mountings by stainless steel nut bolts. The authority directs that these bolts be fastened using stainless steel spring washers. 

It also says people should consider windstorm-safe anchors or extra brackets in the province’s regions prone to storms. 

“The mountings itself should be properly secured with base/floor to ensure it can withstand windstorms and other climatic vagaries,” the document stated.

Kathia said only professionals approved by the AEDB will be authorized to install solar energy systems. He said this move was aimed at ensuring technical standards were maintained and risks associated with faulty or unregulated installations were reduced.

“In addition, all structures across Punjab that may be vulnerable to future damage are being surveyed by the respective deputy commissioners,” the PDMA official said.

He added strict compliance would be ensured in close coordination with district administrations to avoid such accidents in the future. 

Khalil Ahmed, owner of a solar installation company in Punjab’s provincial capital Lahore, supported the PDMA’s decision.

Ahmed said people often hire non-professional installers to save a small amount of money, putting both their systems and safety at risk.

“Ensuring that only AEDB-certified professionals handle solar installations is not just a matter of compliance, it’s a matter of public safety,” he told Arab News.

Proper mounting, structural reinforcement, and weatherproofing are essential to prevent accidents and protect both lives and property, he added.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Saudi Arabia tomorrow, Thursday, to thank the Kingdom’s leadership for its support to Pakistan during its recent conflict with India, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said. 

Saudi Arabia was actively involved in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan as the two countries engaged in four days of intense fighting last month before agreeing to a ceasefire on May 10. 

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir also paid a daylong visit to Pakistan on May 9, which followed his surprise stop in New Delhi for talks with Indian officials as the fighting continued. 

“For your information, we are visiting KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] tomorrow [Thursday] for 24 hours,” Dar told reporters at a news briefing in Islamabad.

“The prime minister will go tomorrow, and I will also go with him. We will go there to thank them for their solidarity and support.”

Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, said the Kingdom’s leadership, especially Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, was in touch with Islamabad throughout the conflict. 

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan engaged in four days of fighting, the worst between them since 1999, last month following weeks of tension after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for being involved in an attack at an Indian-administered Kashmir tourist resort. 

Islamabad denied it was involved in the April 22 attack that had killed 26 Indian tourists, calling for a credible, international probe. 

After both countries traded missiles, drone strikes, artillery fire and used fighter jets to bomb each other for four days, US President Donald Trump announced on May 10 that Washington had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. 

While the ceasefire continues to hold, tensions remain high as India has vowed to hold a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan in abeyance. 

Islamabad has vowed that any attempt to disrupt or divert its flow of water will be considered an “act of war.”