Over a million affected as rivers overflow in Pakistan's Punjab
Province faces a double whammy of monsoon rains and water releases from Indian dams
Haider Amin
Correspondent, Nukta
Haider Amin is a multimedia broadcast journalist with an experience of almost 18 years. Served media industry as reporter, associate executive producer and head of packaging department.
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Water levels in Ravi River rise with settlements near river bank at risk of extreme flooding
Nukta
Floodwaters from three major rivers have hit Pakistan’s Punjab province for the first time in nearly four decades, affecting more than a million people, officials said Thursday.
Authorities said Punjab, the country’s most populous province, faces an “exceptionally high” flood risk as the Chenab, Sutlej and Ravi rivers continue to swell.
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In Lahore, water from the Ravi spilled into low-lying neighborhoods. Rescue teams were deployed in the Shafiqabad area, where water was reported touching the outer walls of homes along the riverbank. Flows reached 155,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) — a level officials described as dangerous — and could rise to 200,000 cusecs by nightfall. A cusec is equivalent to one cubic foot, or about 28 liters, per second.
Flooding in the three rivers has affected more than 1,400 villages across Punjab, impacting over 1.2 million people, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
No civilian deaths: Authorities
More than 248,000 residents have been displaced and moved to safer locations, while over 148,000 livestock have also been relocated.
Relief officials said veterinary, medical and shelter camps are operating in the affected areas.
Despite the scale of the disaster, no civilian deaths have been reported so far. The Punjab government has called in army troops to assist with evacuations and relief efforts.
Double whammy: Dams and rains
The flood threat has been intensified by heavy monsoon rains and the release of water from dams upstream in India.
An Indian government source told Reuters that New Delhi had opened all gates of major dams in Indian-administered Kashmir after days of rain, and had informed Pakistan through diplomatic channels.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority said further rainfall is forecast Thursday in parts of northeast Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Local downpours could trigger urban flooding in cities including Lahore, Gujrat and Sialkot, the agency warned.
Nationwide, floods have killed at least 802 people since late June, nearly half of them this month alone, according to officials.
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