LAHORE – More than 150,000 residents across Punjab have been relocated to safer areas after rising water levels in the Sutlej River and adjoining streams triggered flood warnings, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has launched mass evacuation and relief operations in flood-prone districts. The hardest-hit areas include Kasur (72 villages), Pakpattan (12 villages), Vehari (23 villages), Bahawalnagar (75 villages), and Bahawalpur (15 villages), where high-level flooding has destroyed homes, farmland, and infrastructure.
So far, over 45,000 residents have been directly impacted, while more than 14,000 have been relocated to relief camps. Authorities also moved 17,000 livestock to safe shelters.
To manage the crisis, the PDMA and Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed have established 67 relief camps, including 38 medical units providing care to 2,600 people, and 46 veterinary camps to protect livestock. Rescue teams are equipped with 130 boats, 115 outboard motors, 500 rescue workers, 1,600 tents, and thousands of life jackets, mosquito nets, and ropes.
The Punjab chief minister has directed continuous monitoring and immediate assistance for affected families. NDMA reports that Bahawalnagar leads with 89,868 evacuated residents, followed by Kasur (14,140), Okara (2,063), Pakpattan (873), Bahawalpur (361), and Vehari (165).
Flood levels remain critical at several points: high floods at Ganda Singh Wala, medium floods at Head Sulemanki (Sutlej) and Head Marala (Chenab), while the Ravi River recorded 111,000 cusecs at Jassar and 46,000 at Shahdara. Officials have also warned of flash floods in hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan.
The crisis has been worsened by cross-border water releases from Indian reservoirs, including Bhakra, Pong, and Ranjit Sagar (Thein) dams.
In Bahawalpur, Sutlej waters have breached protective embankments, causing severe erosion at Mari Qasim Shah where hundreds of acres of farmland were washed away. At Head Panjnad, water levels surged to 106,000 cusecs, putting nearby Uch Sharif at risk.
The Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rains from August 27 to 31, which could intensify flooding. Narowal (103mm) and Kasur (96mm) received the highest rainfall in the past 24 hours, while Tarbela Dam has reached full capacity and Mangla stands at 76 percent.
Despite the massive evacuations, no new loss of life or property was reported in the last 24 hours, though the ongoing monsoon season has claimed 165 lives and left 584 injured in Punjab.
