LAHORE:
For days, torrential monsoon rains have pounded Punjab, but authorities on Sunday warned of greater peril after India released a massive surge from Salal Dam without notice, even as the Met Department forecast more heavy rains over the next 72 hours.
Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said the release is expected to drive some 800,000 cusecs of water into the Chenab within 48 hours, sparking fears of “extremely high flood” conditions across multiple districts.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said all districts along the Chenab were placed on high alert, with district administration officers instructed to remain in the field. “The next 36 hours are critical,” he warned, stressing that the water level could reach dangerous levels at Head Marala.
So far, over 2,200 villages have been inundated, with the number of affected people exceeding 2 million. At least 33 deaths have been reported in flood-related incidents. Rescue agencies, and the army are carrying out relief operations.
The surge comes as flooding has already caused widespread destruction along the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers. Breaches of embankments in Bahawalpur have inundated thousands of acres of crops, displacing villagers who are now evacuating with their livestock by boat.
Further breaches in protective bunds in Narowal and Nankana Sahib pushed floodwaters into both urban and rural settlements, destroying crops and livestock. At Ganda Singh Wala, officials reported “historic flood levels” in the Sutlej that already flooded thousands of acres of farmland.
Monsoon downpours have compounded the misery of flood-hit communities. In Lahore, heavy rain has left key roads including Mall Road, Gulberg and Davis Road under water, worsening conditions in areas already submerged by Ravi floodwaters.
According to official figures, 18 government schools in Lahore are currently housing more than 4,000 displaced people, with another 65 schools identified as potential relief centres if evacuations increase.
In Chiniot, 144 villages are inundated, with families trapped in water up to 10 feet deep. Jhang has reported 180 villages submerged, while in Dera Ghazi Khan washed-out roads have left families dependent on boats for food and supplies. With heavy rainfall forecast in upper catchment areas until September 3, PDMA has also issued flood alerts for the Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab and connected streams through September 5. Local administrations have begun mosque announcements in Wazirabad and surrounding areas, urging residents to move to higher ground.
Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed directed the agriculture, irrigation, health, livestock, forestry and transport departments to remain fully mobilised. Dozens of schools across Lahore, Arifwala and Pakpattan have been closed and repurposed as relief shelters.
Meanwhile, flooded settlements have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, fuelling spikes in dengue and malaria. Contaminated water has led to outbreaks of cholera, diarrhoea and skin infections, while children and elderly are reporting fevers and respiratory illnesses.
Doctors have warned that clean water shortages and poor sanitation remain severe challenges. As thousands of families shelter in overcrowded schools with little more than bedding and kitchen utensils salvaged from their homes.
PDMA Director General Kathia warned that the situation could worsen within the next 24 hours as the floodwater headed towards southern Punjab districts. He said a discharge of 700,000 cusecs was expected at Trimmu on September 1 (today).
at present, the surge, was passing Head Trimmu with a discharge of 500,000 cusecs, which is expected to reach Head Muhammadwala by Monday (today). Kathia said that 800,000 cusecs might pass through Head Muhammadwala.
Authorities said around 140 villages, stretching from Khanewal to Jalalpur Pirwala, are directly in the path of the flood. Residents have been issued a final evacuation warning, but many were refusing to leave despite rising danger.
At Head Muhammadwala, the water level has already touched 200,000 cusecs, with flooding reported between the Akbar Bund and Head Muhammadwala road. In an attempt to protect Multan, officials have designated breaching point at Head Muhammadwala, if water levels continued to rise,.
Adding to the crisis, 70,000 cusecs of water from the Ravi River is merging into the Chenab near Kakkar Hatta, intensifying pressure downstream. In several riverine areas electricity has been cut off for the past three days, still, many families remained reluctant to abandon their homes.
By September 2 (tomorrow), the NDMA said, the Ravi would merge with the Chenab, putting Khanewal and Kabirwala at high risk. “We expect a water flow of 700,000-800,000 cusecs, which will head south,” NDMA Chairman said.
“All of this water will reach Guddu Barrage by September 5 and we have estimated a flow of at least 1 million cusecs,” he added. “We are trying to ensure that barrages are not put under stress by water pressure.” The NDMA said that the more monsoon rains would continue till September 3.
Super Flood
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Arangzeb said on Sunday that a “super flood” has hit the province, creating extraordinary conditions in the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers and affected more than 2 two million people.
Aurangzeb said 2,207 villages had been affected, with another 1,000 expected to come under threat, adding that the floods displaced 750,000 people. She said that all schools have been converted into relief camps.
In Karachi, meanwhile, Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon cautioned that 1.65 million people in 15 districts of Sindh might be impacted by the rising waters when the floodwater from Punjab makes its way to the Arabian Sea via Indus River.
Memon detailed that 1,651 villages, spread across 167 Union Committees and Union Councils and home to approximately 273,000 families, face the threat of inundation, warning that around 102 points of the Indus River embankments showed structural weaknesses in 2010 and 2015 floods.
“The Sindh government has initiated emergency measures in view of the looming threat of a possible super flood of up to 900,000 cusecs,” he said. “A total of 192 boats have been deployed to ensure timely evacuation from the kacha (riverine) areas.”
Five die in K-P
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the provincial PDMA reported five deaths and five injuries across the province in the past two days due to heavy rains, flash floods and urban flooding. The deceased include four children and one woman, according to the PDMA spokesperson,
The rains also damaged six houses in Peshawar, South Waziristan, Khyber and Abbottabad districts. The PDMA added that since August 15, extreme weather events have claimed 411 lives, left 258 injured, and damaged more than 3,500 houses across the province.
With Tarbela Dam now at 100% capacity and Mangla at 82%, officials warn that the margin for absorbing further inflows in dams is shrinking.
(WITH INPUTS FROM OUT KARACHI, MULTAN & PESHAWAR CORRESPONDENTS)
