Lahore:
Pakistan’s flood crisis was Wednesday when authorities warned of “unusually high” water levels in the chenab and sutlej rivers and threatened large parts of southern Punjab. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) confirmed that Monsun floods have required at least 883 lives since the end of June.
Over the past 24 hours, two more children died – one in Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and another in Islamabad – and pushed the nationwide death toll to 883, with almost 1,200 others injured, according to NDMA’s Daily Situation Report.
Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remain the hardest hit regions. Punjab has reported 223 deaths and 648 injuries, while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has registered 488 fatalities and 360 injuries. Sindh has reported 58 deaths, Gilgit-Baltistan 41, Azad Kashmir 38, Balochistan 26 and Islamabad ni.
Through its National Emergency Operation Center (Neoc), NDMA has issued a new advice that warned of potential rainfall in several regions in Pakistan over the next 12 to 24 hours.
Rain warnings have been issued for Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, with intermittent showers expected in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Chitral, Dir, SWAT, Buner and Abbottabad.
Authorities have warned against flooding of flash in low -lying areas, crowded streams and landslides in hilly terrain.
The floods have destroyed or damaged over 9,200 houses – including 4,700 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2,100 in Azad Kashmir and wiped out over 6,000 livestock heads. Nearly 240 bridges and more than 670 kilometers of roads have also been damaged across the country.
Chenab flood wave
Authorities in the Multan Division reported that a dangerous flood wave in Chenab has flooded dozens of settlements and raised the water level by up to four meters along the Akbar flooding meeting. Houses near the dam have already caused damage, and officials said there are explosives on the head Muhammad Wala Road to create a controlled violation if needed.
Drone monitoring teams have been deployed to locate stranded families and monitor abandoned homes overnight to deter looting. At Trimmu headwork, water discharge was registered on nearly 400,000 CUSCS, while officials in Panjnad expect a “very high flood” with Thursday (today).
Separately reported PDMA Punjab that Chenab’s flooding water has immersed 261 villages in Jhang and at least two dozen in Muzaffargarh. Authorities said the water level in Sutlej and Ravi also increases dangerously due to releases from Indian reservoirs.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned that unusually high flood levels will continue in Sutlej by Ganda Singh Wala and that a fresh flood wave in Chenab could reach “very high to unusual” levels from Marala downstream. At Panjnad, the confluence of Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej, flooding water is expected to reach the top between September 4 and 5, threatening thousands of hectares of agricultural land and hundreds of villages.
Indus in Guddu is also expected to reach “high to very high flood levels by September 6 or 7. PMD warned that the city’s flood is possible in Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawal Pindi and Islamabad due to sustained heavy rain in the top drainage.
NDMA said 1,297 relief is active nationwide and protects more than 40,000 people over the last 24 hours. About 568 medical camps have treated more than 45,000 patients suffering from waterborne diseases. Punjab alone has set up 655 camps for 11,000 displaced residents.
Rescue operations remain extensive. Over the last 24 hours, 210 operations in Sindh evacuated more than 55,000 people, while Islamabad reported 14 rescues. In total, more than 1.08 million people have been rescued since the floods began in late June.
Federal agencies and humanitarian partners have distributed thousands of tents, food rations, blankets and mosquito nets, with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who receive the majority of help. Officials have called on provincial authorities to remain in high attention as the water level continues to rise in larger rivers.
