A worsening flood crisis has gripped several regions across Punjab as India released additional water into the Sutlej River while Chenab River is also experiencing high flood levels.
The situation has led to widespread displacement, crop damage, and infrastructure strain in multiple districts.
In Jalalpur Pirwala, floodwaters breached embankments due to the fast-flowing Chenab River, submerging dozens of villages. Residents climbed onto rooftops to escape rising waters. Emergency has been declared in Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujabad, with evacuation orders issued for affected towns.
It may be recalled India released more water into the Sutlej River on Sunday and informed the government of Pakistan diplomatically. The government issued flood alerts after severe water flow was recorded downstream of Harike and Ferozepur on the Sutlej. At Head Panjnad, the inflow and outflow reached over 609,669 cusecs, while at Head Trimmu, the Chenab’s flow was recorded at 543,000 cusecs.
In Multan’s Jalalpur Pirwala, embankments at Shah Rasool and Beat Wahi villages collapsed, allowing water to enter homes in Bahadurpur and nearby areas. Authorities are attempting to protect the city embankment as Chenab waters threaten to break through. Additional rescue assets, including 50 boats and 5 drones, have been deployed.
Rescue 1122 confirmed that operations continued overnight, rescuing 143 people in a midnight operation from Karam Wali and Darabpur, while 2,343 individuals were rescued across Multan in the past 24 hours.
Cumulatively, over 10,810 people have been evacuated in the Multan district alone.
In Jhang, a second major flood wave in the Chenab inundated over 300 villages, damaging crops on 281,000 acres. In Muzaffargarh’s Azmatpur area, a breached embankment forced over 7,000 residents to flee.
Severe flooding has reached Bahawalpur’s Northern Bypass area, while in Chiniot, medium-level flooding submerged over 100 villages, cutting off road access to several areas.
In Kasur, 130 villages are underwater, affecting over 100,000 people. In Bahawalnagar, floodwaters entered several settlements due to breaches at Head Sulaimanki.
The flow in the Sutlej River reached 319,000 cusecs, with high flood levels at Head Sulaimanki and medium flood at Head Islam.
On the Ravi River, Head Balloki recorded 139,000 cusecs, while Head Sidhnai saw a rise to 123,000 cusecs.
In Rajanpur, floodwaters in the Indus River have submerged 23 riverine villages, prompting ongoing evacuations from low-lying areas.
Authorities remain on high alert as the risk of further breaches and population displacement looms across Punjab’s flood-hit regions.
The death toll from recent monsoon rains and floods in the country have reached 910, as per a report published by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Dunya News reported on Sunday.
According to NDMA report 910 people died and 1,044 other sustained injured due to rains and floods since June 26. Among the deceased are 520 men, 149 women and 241 children, while the injured comprise 568 men, 290 women, and 323 children.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded the highest number of deaths at 504. In Punjab, 234 people lost their lives, followed by 58 in Sindh, 26 in Balochistan, and 9 in Islamabad. Meanwhile, 41 deaths were reported in Gilgit-Baltistan and 38 in Azad Kashmir.
In a separate development, the NDMA issued a warning that a rain-producing system over the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan is likely to hit Sindh, Balochistan, and southern Punjab.
The NDMA spokesman informed that these rains can persist off and on up to September 10. Heavy to very heavy rain will fall in Koh-e-Suleiman and southern Punjab. Urban flooding can occur in a few locations in Sindh, Balochistan, and southern Punjab.
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