LAHORE/MULTAN/KARACHI:
The country is staring down the barrel of one of its most precarious flooding phases in recent years, with officials warning of catastrophic inundation in Sindh and Balochistan after weeks of devastation across Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Officials said nearly 1.5 million people have already been affected in Punjab, where at least 28 people have died, and further dangerous surges are expected in the coming days.
The flooding, fuelled by heavy rains and overflowing rivers, has already left a trail of destruction, forcing mass evacuations, submerging entire villages and wiping out thousands of acres of crops. Rescue teams, backed by the army, are in a race against the clock to move people and livestock to higher ground.
Large swaths of Punjab remain under water, particularly in Kasur, Multan, Sialkot, Rajanpur, Pakpattan and Chishtian. Three transboundary rivers cutting through Punjab have swollen to exceptionally high levels, impacting more than 2,300 villages.
Sharing official figures with the media, Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb informed that 30 people had lost their lives while 2,038 villages across Punjab had been inundated by floodwaters from the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers, affecting more than 1.5 million people. Of these, over 481,000 individuals have been safely relocated. She added that 1,169 villages were impacted by the River Chenab, 462 by the Ravi, and 391 by the Sutlej.
Aurangzeb said that 511 relief camps and 351 medical camps were operating round-the-clock, where 6,373 people were currently housed. To protect livelihoods, over 405,000 livestock had also been rescued and are being treated at 321 veterinary camps.
She further informed that the number of boats deployed in rescue missions has been increased to 808, enabling the safe evacuation of 68,477 people in just 36 hours.
She said that climate change has now turned into a serious disaster, making the introduction of advanced early warning systems indispensable. She added that once recovery is complete, a comprehensive anti-encroachment drive will be launched, and an integrated long-term strategy will be prepared to minimize future risks.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) described the situation as the province’s worst flooding in decades. PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said the Sutlej River overflowed after a breach at India’s Madhopur Headworks, sending massive volumes of water toward Pakistan. Kasur recorded its highest water levels since 1955.
“Protecting Kasur city has become a major challenge,” Kathia warned, adding that communication with Indian authorities on water releases has been “insufficient and unreliable”.
At Ganda Singh Wala in Kasur, water levels have begun to recede but remain dangerously high at more than 300,000 cusecs. At Head Sulemanki, flows exceed 100,000 cusecs, while Head Islam faces rising threats in the next 24 hours.
In Multan, authorities are bracing for a surge of more than 700,000 cusecs at Head Muhammad Wala, where controlled breaches may be required. Evacuations are underway in 138 nearby settlements, with more than 300,000 people expected to be displaced.
Sixty-four villages in Shujabad and Jalalpur Pirwala remain under imminent threat. Relief camps have been established in the district to provide food, water, and temporary shelter.
In other parts of Punjab, floodwaters have cut off land access to villages in Sialkot, Pasrur, Hafizabad and Pakpattan. In Chishtian, a breach in the Sutlej embankment allowed water to inundate homes and farmland, affecting nearly 50 settlements. In Sialkot’s Bajwat area, 85 villages have lost road connectivity, leaving residents stranded.
The Ravi and Chenab rivers are also under pressure. While Lahore’s immediate threat has eased as Ravi’s levels dropped, the situation remains volatile downstream in Okara, Sahiwal and Toba Tek Singh.
Persistent rainfall is worsening conditions in the flood-hit districts. In Jhelum, overflowing streams have inundated neighbourhoods, while low-lying areas in Sheikhupura and Chiniot are struggling with water accumulation.
An overflowing stormwater drain in Sialkot’s Badiana forced road closures and flooded nearby towns. The ZafarwalLehri road was washed away, severing access to dozens of villages. Officials reported thousands of acres of rice crops destroyed.
NDMA warns of Indus flooding
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued high-level alerts for the Indus River, warning of extreme flooding between September 3 and 6.
At Panjnad Headworks, flows of up to 950,000 cusecs are expected, with potential breaches pushing water levels toward 900,000 cusecs. Guddu Barrage could face flows ranging from 800,000 to 1.1 million cusecs, posing grave risks to low-lying areas downstream.
“Severe high-level flooding is likely in the Indus,” the NDMA said, cautioning that strong upstream currents could trigger a cascading disaster downstream in Sindh and Balochistan.
Sindh is preparing for fresh surges in the Indus, while Balochistan is bracing for floods expected to enter the province through Jaffarabad, Usta Muhammad, Sohbatpur, and Rojhan by September 2.
Sindh’s Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has warned that floods from Punjab are expected to enter Sindh by the night of September 2 or 3.
Speaking in a media briefing in Karachi, Sharjeel stated that all departments, including PDMA, are prepared and on high alert to manage any flood-related emergencies.
The minister estimated that the floods could affect approximately 1.65 million people, including 1,657 villages, 167 union councils, and over 273,000 families. Memon further mentioned that 15 districts are located along the riverbanks, and 551 relief camps have been set up to be activated in case of an emergency.
Balochistan Irrigation Minister Sadiq Umrani said a camp office has been established in Naseerabad and that provincial authorities are coordinating closely with Sindh. “We are monitoring the situation hour by hour,” Umrani said.
According to the PDMA, the Chenab River at Marala is flowing at 111,000 cusecs, while Khanki is recording 170,000 cusecs. At Qadirabad, the flow has risen to 171,000 cusecs, and at Trimmu, 146,000 cusecs have been reported with levels continuing to rise.
The Ravi is also surging, with flows of 78,000 cusecs at Jassar, 138,000 cusecs at Shahdara, where water levels are now gradually receding, and nearly 200,000 cusecs at Balloki, which remain on the rise.
At Sidhnai, inflows stand at 32,000 cusecs against an outflow of 18,000 cusecs. The Sutlej has swelled to a critical level, with Ganda Singh Wala recording 303,000 cusecs and rising, while Sulemanki is holding steady at 138,000 cusecs.
Evacuations and relief efforts
Authorities have evacuated thousands of families from Kasur, Multan, Hafizabad and Chishtian, while rescue teams are using boats to move residents in hard-hit districts. Relief camps have been set up across Punjab and Balochistan to provide food, drinking water, medical assistance, and shelter.
However, displaced residents in Multan and Rajanpur complained of shortages of boats and limited arrangements for moving livestock. Farmers in Sialkot and Pakpattan said they had lost entire harvests of rice and sugarcane.
Despite the scale of the disaster, officials stressed that timely evacuations have prevented larger casualties. “So far, 28 lives have been lost in Punjab,” Kathia said, “but the danger is far from over”.
Pakistan, still recovering from last year’s catastrophic monsoon floods that affected more than 30 million people, faces another major humanitarian and economic test.
Meteorologists warned that the next 48 hours are critical for southern Punjab, Sindh and northern Balochistan as water levels peak in the Chenab and Indus rivers.
Government officials urged residents in flood-prone areas to move immediately to relief camps and higher ground.
“This is a national emergency,” the NDMA said in a statement, urging cooperation between provincial governments, the military, and local communities.
