Hundreds stranded as floodwaters submerge Kartarpur Corridor

Around 200 to 300 people remained stranded in Kartarpur Corridor on Wednesday morning. The armed forces were called in to assist with rescue efforts.

Visuals from the area showed Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal District completely submerged after the Ravi River overflowed its banks.

Officials from the Evacuee Trust Property Board confirmed that floodwater had entered the compound, with levels in some sections of the shrine reaching nearly three feet. The inundation drowned the gurdwara’s courtyard and main staircase, forcing pilgrims to a standstill.

Authorities said visits would resume only after drainage and cleanup operations are completed.

Relief and rescue efforts

The Pakistan Army has been engaged in flood relief operations across six districts of Punjab since last night, state-run PTV reported. Other disaster management bodies including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Rescue 112 are also responding to the crisis. 

Rescue and relief efforts are underway in Lahore, Faisalabad, Okara, Kasur, Sialkot and Narowal, where several villages and towns, including Kasur and Ganda Singh Wala along the Sutlej River, are submerged in floodwater.

Troops have been transporting flood-affected people to safer locations using boats. Children, women and elderly residents are among those relocated, with soldiers also ensuring the safe transfer of victims’ belongings and livestock.

Relief camps have been established jointly by the Pakistan Army and the district administration to accommodate the displaced population.

Read: Punjab holds its breath as rivers surge

At least 32,589 people have been evacuated from flood-prone areas across Punjab as authorities reported critically high water levels in major rivers and reservoirs, triggering large-scale rescue and relief operations, Rescue 112 officials confirmed on Wednesday. 

Thousands were relocated from vulnerable areas along the Indus, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Jhelum rivers, said officials. 

By noon on Wednesday, another 987 people had been evacuated. These included 719 from Nankana Sahib, 124 from Hafizabad, 103 from Narowal, 27 from Gujrat and 14 from Gujranwala.

On Tuesday alone, 5,970 people were shifted, including 2,275 from Kasur, 914 from Okara, 846 from Pakpattan, 785 from Bahawalpur, 323 from Vehari, 270 from Bahawalnagar, 259 from Narowal, 74 from Hafizabad, 27 from Lodhran and 15 from Chiniot.

Rescue officials said 436 boats were in active operation, with 74 in Kasur, 28 in Okara, 16 in Pakpattan, 18 in Bahawalnagar, 20 in Vehari, 15 in Bahawalpur, 18 in Sialkot, 14 in Narowal, 16 in Gujrat, 15 in Mandi Bahauddin and 19 in Hafizabad. Another 400 boats with trained staff were kept on standby.

Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar announced that his department has been on high alert under directives from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Evacuations are underway in Lahore, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib, while relief camps were established to provide food, clean water and medicines, he said. 

“Protecting the lives and property of the people is our foremost priority,” said Anwar, adding that police teams were patrolling riverside villages and coordinating with PDMA, district administrations, rescue services and security agencies. Police were also helping to distribute food, water and medicines alongside other institutions.

The Edhi Foundation also mobilised its teams, particularly in Kasur, where several villages including Ganda Singh, Chanda Singh, Bhikki and Dhoneh had been affected by floods.

Edhi volunteers were evacuating families, running medical camps and working round-the-clock in shifts. A spokesperson urged citizens to contact Edhi’s emergency helpline 115 in case of need.

River levels remain high

Water levels in Pakistan’s major rivers and reservoirs remain critically high, with inflows surpassing 1.2 million cusecs and floodwaters continue to move downstream into Punjab. Authorities reported both large-scale evacuations and extensive rescue efforts as concerns mounted over the safety of communities along the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers.

According to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), the Indus River at Tarbela recorded an inflow of 240,000 cusecs and outflow of 245,400 cusecs.

At Mangla on the Jhelum, inflow was 34,000 cusecs and outflow 8,000 cusecs. Chashma saw inflows of 326,600 cusecs and outflows of 329,000 cusecs, while at Head Marala on the Chenab, inflows reached 107,500 cusecs against 89,500 cusecs outflow.

In Nowshera, the Kabul River registered 39,400 cusecs both in inflow and outflow.

Reservoirs remained under pressure, with Tarbela at 1,549 feet holding 5.67 million acre-feet (MAF), Mangla at 1,220.95 feet also holding 5.67 MAF, and Chashma at 647 feet with 0.21 MAF.

The combined usable storage across Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma stood at 11.55 MAF. Since 1 April, however, 11.8 MAF of water – estimated at US$11 billion – has flowed into the sea.

The Indus carried the largest volume to the sea, with flood-like conditions reported from Chashma downstream to Kotri. At Sukkur, discharge reached 449,000 cusecs; at Guddu, 312,000 cusecs; at Taunsa, 345,000 cusecs; and at Kalabagh, 271,000 cusecs.

On the Chenab, flow at Head Marala touched 902,000 cusecs, while no dam exists to store its waters.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said the Head Marala structure had remained safe, with floodwaters having passed and water levels beginning to recede.

Flood peaks were recorded at Khanki, Qadirabad, Ganda Singh, Jassar and Shahdara, with flows in the Ravi touching 240,000 cusecs.

Kathia added that around 150,000 people had been evacuated to safer locations, with Pakistan Army units deployed in seven districts.

He said extraordinary rainfall in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) as well as in Punjab’s Sialkot region, had caused rivers to swell.

However, he expressed optimism that floodwaters would pass Kalabagh and Trimmu within safe limits, noting that drainage was being managed effectively.