PDMA confirms 33 deaths, millions affected in Punjab floods

LAHORE: Torrential rains and unprecedented flooding in Punjab’s rivers have claimed at least 33 lives, affected 2,200 villages, and forced the evacuation of over 700,000 people, officials said.

Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, Irfan Ali Kathia, told the media that the province is witnessing one of the largest floods in its history across all three rivers.

He confirmed that water levels at the Sutlej River near Kasur have started to recede.

According to Kathia, a flow of 135,000 cusecs is expected to reach Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, and Vehari by tomorrow.

Villagers in surrounding areas are continuing to evacuate, while the floodwaters are passing through Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur.

At Treemoon Barrage, water discharge has surged to 361,633 cusecs, marking an increase of 100,000 cusecs in just a short time.

He added that decisions regarding breaching embankments are being implemented by local and provincial administrations to control the flood impact.

The PDMA confirmed that so far, 20 lakh (2 million) people in Punjab have been affected by the floods. Relief and rehabilitation operations are ongoing in the worst-hit districts. Alongside human evacuations, thousands of livestock have also been moved to safer areas.

The DG PDMA noted that the ninth spell of monsoon rains has caused widespread destruction, compounding the flood crisis across Punjab.