MULTAN: With the rising water levels in the three rivers of Chenab, Sutlej and Ravi, heavy rains have pushed the threat of major flooding in Pakistan higher.
Multan Deputy Commissioner Waseem Hamid Sindhu has said that the flood relay level in the Chenab River is continuously rising, due to which water has reached the Akbar Flood Dam and Sher Shah headworks and many villages have been submerged, said a statement from his office.
The DC’s office added that he inspected the Chenab River Bridge and Sher Shah embankment yesterday during a visit, where he also received a briefing.
“The situation is likely to worsen due to the joining of the Ravi River to the Chenab,” DC Sindhu was quoted as saying. “It was crossing level 414 at Greywala Chowk until late at night, which shows a rising trend.”
The DC was quoted as saying that the committee is “on board” if the embankment at Head Muhammad Wala needs to be breached.
“Saving human lives in populated areas from floods is the most important thing,” the DC said. The statement added that a record 400,000 people were relocated to safer areas in the district.
More than half a million people have been forced to flee in the past 24 hours as the flood threat in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province rises, officials said on Thursday.
The evacuations brought the total number of people displaced by the threat since last month to 1.8 million, said Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed. He noted that mass evacuations were still continuing in the flood-hit Muzaffargarh district and other areas.
The action came as India sent out its third flood alert this week following heavy monsoon rains and water releases from dams to low-lying border regions.
India’s National Disaster Management Authority said the new spell of monsoon rains is expected to persist for another 24 to 48 hours, adding that floodwaters are likely to surge into the Indus river, posing a threat to areas in southern Sindh province.
Muzaffargarh is among the worst-hit areas in Punjab, where floods have inundated 3,900 villages since the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers burst their banks two weeks ago, Javed said.
The flooding has become substantially worse since Wednesday, said Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Multan in Punjab.
“Yesterday we were at the same location and there was just a couple of feet of water,” said Hyder. “But now the villagers are telling us that same area is now under 20 feet of water. In Muzaffargarh, Narowal and Kasur, the government has erected tents to host displaced families”.
People who fled their homes in Muzaffargarh described rushing to safety after urgent flood warnings.
Ghulam Abbas, 54, who fled his village with his family, said mosque loudspeakers announced a massive flood surge was on its way, urging everyone to leave as soon as possible.
“Those who thought the waters wouldn’t reach them are now being rescued by boat,” Abbas said, adding that his home was submerged overnight.
Zainab Akhtar, 33, who is currently living in a government-donated tent with her family, said she has received some food from charities and the government, but added that many survivors were relying on help from relatives.
‘Worst flooding in Punjab’s history’
In Kasur, people said they received some help from the government, and charities arranged food for them.
Irfan Ali Kathia, director general of the provincial Disaster Management Authority, said thousands of rescuers are taking part in the relief and rescue operations, while the military has been deployed to transport people and animals from flooded villages.
“Supplies are on the way for the displaced people, and one of the largest rescue and relief operations is still ongoing,” Kathia said.
He added that authorities made some breaches along the embankment of the Chenab river overnight on Wednesday to protect Muzaffargarh city.
“Our priority is to save lives as this is the worst flooding in Punjab’s history,” Kathia said.
“Overall, 3.8 million people have been affected by the flooding in Punjab,” Javed said in a statement. He said they include those who suffered damage after their villages were flooded.
According to a PDMA statement shared by the Punjab government on X, a total of over 3.8m people have been affected, while 1.8m were safely rescued. Over 400 relief, 444 medical and 395 veterinary camps have been set up in the flood-hit districts.
Pakistan received three flood alerts from India in past 24 hours
New Delhi has issued seven warnings to Pakistan about opening dam gates, three in the last 24 hours, Reuters reports Pakistani officials as saying.
DG PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia told Reuters that three rivers in Pakistan — Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab — have been affected by the release of more water from Indian dams.
Punjab Commerce Minister Chaudhry Shafay Hussain has said that floodwater coming from Azad Kashmir had caused large-scale devastation in Gujrat City, while the administration was working round-the-clock to minimise losses, APP reports.
Speaking to the media, the minister said the protective embankments of villages Loran and Madina Syedan were breached due to heavy floods, and repair work was underway throughout the night.
“We are trying our best to reduce the damage caused by this calamity,” he said, adding that a temporary canal was being constructed to drain floodwater from Gujrat city into the River Chenab.
Hussain added he had been supervising relief operations for the past two days “without rest”.
The minister said that all necessary arrangements had been in place to cope with heavy rains. However, the intensity of the floods was unprecedented in the history of Gujrat.
India announces increased water release from two points of Sutlej River
Indian High Commissioner has on Thursday informed about release of more water from two points of Sutlej River. Indian High Commission in Islamabad has informed to the authorities about high flood alert at 8:00am on Thursday morning after releasing water from Sutlej at Harike and below Firozpur. The high commission had earlier conveyed information about the release of water from Sutlej River on Wednesday.
Ambassador Rizwan appeals to Pakistani-American community for flood aid
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, has appealed to the Pakistani-American community to extend their full support in relief efforts amid ongoing flooding situation in the country.
He made the appeal while speaking at an event in Washington DC. He stated that the current priority for Pakistan is to provide relief and aid to regions affected by ongoing flooding.
