Floods in Punjab affect 0.6m, claim 15 lives, damage infrastructure, destroy farmland

 

Catastrophic floods in the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers have displaced hundreds of thousands of people and submerged vast areas of Punjab. The deluge has inflicted severe damage on infrastructure and destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland.

According to Dawn, the three border rivers have swollen to extraordinary levels due to heavy rainfall and the release of water from Indian dams, which has since entered Pakistan.

The crisis has already devastated central Punjab districts and now threatens southern Punjab, where four rivers are expected to converge today.

In a statement, the Gujranwala Commissioner confirmed 15 fatalities from the floods—five in Sialkot, four in Gujrat, three in Narowal, two in Hafizabad, and one in Gujranwala.

Official figures show that more than 150,000 people and 35,000 livestock have been relocated to safer areas. Relief camps, along with medical and veterinary facilities, have been established in affected regions.

Authorities estimate that over 600,000 people have been impacted. The UN OCHA reported that fatalities this monsoon season are nearly three times higher than last year.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said that 39,638 people have been evacuated from districts including Sialkot, Sargodha, Chiniot, Gujranwala, Nankana Sahib, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Lahore, Narowal, Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Bahawalpur, and Lodhran.

By midnight Thursday, three sites had been classified under the “very high flood” category:

• Chenab at Khanki Headworks – outflow exceeding 966,400 cusecs, with a declining trend.

• Chenab at Qadirabad Headworks – outflow at 1,054,883 cusecs, stable.

• Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala – outflow at 261,000 cusecs, stable.

Other river conditions include:

• Ravi at Jassar – very high flood, outflow 166,500 cusecs, stable.

• Chenab at Marala – high flood at 246,970 cusecs, declining.

• Ravi at Shahdara – outflow 100,000 cusecs, rising.

• Ravi at Balloki – medium flood at 82,000 cusecs, rising.

• Sutlej at Sulemanki – outflow 109,305 cusecs, stable.

On Wednesday, PDMA issued a warning of a possible breach at Qadirabad Headworks, posing a grave threat to Hafizabad and Chiniot.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia cautioned that rising water pressure was creating a dangerous situation: “If the structure fails, Hafizabad and Chiniot will face devastating consequences.”

He added that the major flood wave is currently moving through the river system. Key structures remain intact, while mass evacuations from vulnerable areas are ongoing. Water levels at Marala Headworks are receding, while the flood surge passing through Khanki Headworks is expected to reach Panjnad without causing major damage.

So far, about 150,000 people have been relocated to safety. The government has released Rs 900 million in emergency relief funds.

Affected Areas: Central and Southern Punjab districts along the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab river belts.