BAHAWALNAGAR:
The raging floodwaters of the Sutlej River have wreaked havoc across Bahawalnagar district, leaving behind widespread devastation and exposing what victims describe as the district administration’s negligence.
In Manchanabad, Bahawalnagar and Chishtian tehsils, more than 100,000 acres of standing crops have been destroyed.
Over 7,000 mud houses have collapsed, directly impacting residents in 124 villages across 18 union councils. Thousands of displaced families are now forced to live under the open sky along roadsides and riverbanks.
The situation is particularly dire for women and children.
Infants are crying out of hunger and thirst, while pregnant women and the elderly struggle with illness and lack of care.
Victims say relief camps set up by the district administration are “only for show.”
The largest camp on Arifwala Road has failed to provide shelter or food, while another camp at Jhalan Araiyan’s school has been submerged in rainwater for three days, forcing families to sit in stagnant water.
Apart from Rescue 1122 teams and health department workers, no government department is visible in the field. Rescue workers have evacuated stranded families, while health officials are distributing medicines for fever and diarrhoea.
Yet, residents say hunger and thirst remain the most pressing crises, with many drinking contaminated river water – causing stomach diseases to spread rapidly among children and women.
Agriculture and livestock – the two main sources of livelihood in the area – have been devastated. Thousands of cattle have drowned, and an entire year’s worth of farmers’ labour has been washed away.
One grieving woman broke down, saying: “We had ten buffaloes; they were our only means of survival. All are gone in the floods. How will we now feed our children?”
As the Sutlej continues to destroy lives and livelihoods, the flood-stricken families say they are not only battling nature’s fury but also the administration’s indifference.
Women and children remain the worst affected, left to face hunger, thirst, and disease with little relief in sight.
