By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has evacuated nearly 150,000 people from flood-prone areas in Punjab province as heavy monsoon rains and glacier melt intensify, pushing the nation’s death toll to 802, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday.
The NDMA reported that “high flood” warnings prompted large-scale evacuations in Punjab, with the Sutlej River swelling and threatening widespread inundation. “Nearly 150,000 people have so far been relocated to safer areas from flood-prone regions,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported, citing early warnings issued by the NDMA about rising water levels.
The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) launched “large-scale evacuation operations” in vulnerable areas, deploying emergency response teams and placing all relevant departments on high alert to protect lives and property, the APP added. The NDMA data detailed evacuations of 89,868 residents from Bahawalnagar, 14,140 from Kasur, 2,063 from Okara, 873 from Pakpattan, 361 from Bahawalpur, and 165 from Vehari. Approximately 40,000 people relocated immediately after initial alerts.
Pakistan’s monsoon season, marked by record rainfall and glacier melt, has caused 802 deaths, 1,088 injuries, and damaged nearly 7,465 houses, according to NDMA figures. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reported the highest fatalities at 479, followed by Punjab with 165, Sindh with 57, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) with 45, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with 24, Balochistan with 24, and Islamabad with eight. The deceased included 480 men, 119 women, and 203 children.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, chairing a high-level meeting on the flood situation, was briefed that over 174,000 people had been evacuated from Punjab’s inundated districts along the Sutlej River. He ordered accelerated rescue operations and the timely provision of food, medicines, and tents, directing the NDMA chairman to coordinate closely with the PDMA.
Advance warnings helped avert casualties in some areas despite high flood levels in the Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala and Sulemanki, the Ravi at Jassar, and the Chenab at Marala, authorities said. Severe flooding also hit Nullah Dek, while evacuation efforts continued in Narowal’s Lehri Bund area.
The flooding worsened after India released additional water into Pakistan’s rivers, causing surges in the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej and breaches in Narowal, Sialkot, and Shakargarh. At Head Marala on the Chenab, water inflow reached 350,000 cusecs, while the Sutlej at GandaRetrofit Wala hit 188,000 cusecs, classified as extremely high flood levels. India’s release of an additional 200,000 cusecs into the Ravi and an expected 100,000 cusecs into the Chenab raised fears of severe flooding within 48 hours.
In Bahawalpur’s Khairpur Tamewali, floodwaters damaged crops across thousands of acres, houses, and government schools. Sialkot recorded 335 millimetres of rain in 24 hours, breaking an 11-year record and paralyzing life. In Shakargarh, a roof collapse killed one woman and injured two children. In Buner district, floods washed away the Sikh community’s only cremation ground, along with businesses and shops.
In GB’s Ghizer district, areas like Gupis, Phander, and Yasin tehsils have been cut off for five days due to a submerged five-kilometre stretch of the main road, caused by an artificial lake at Raushan village. Local residents said 300 houses were damaged by a glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) in Hakis, Thangi, and Raushan villages, leaving residents without basic necessities.
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