LAHORE: With another monsoon spell gripping upper parts of the country, three eastern rivers — Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej — continued to wreak havoc on Punjab’s farmland on Friday, threatening to aggravate an already dire situation.
According to official data, the Sutlej remained in extremely high flood for a second consecutive week, with a flow of 327,000 cusecs recorded at Ganda Singh Wala, the border point where the river enters Pakistan from India after crossing the Ferozepur Headworks.
The swollen river has inundated wide swathes of Kasur district, destroying homes, crops and livelihoods, while downstream areas including Gandapur have also been severely hit. With its shallow bed, the Sutlej flows through eastern Punjab before merging with Chenab at Ucch Sharif in Bahawalpur, raising fears of further flooding.
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Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned that the Ravi could see a sharp rise if heavy rains in the catchment areas coincide with India releasing water from the Thein Dam. The authority noted that while the river’s level had fallen in some stretches — from Jassar to Shahdara in Lahore — it was again rising at Balloki Headworks and other downstream locations.
Any additional water release, coupled with fresh rainfall, could push Ravi into high or even extremely high flood levels, officials cautioned. The river, which enters Pakistan at Kot Naina in Narowal, had already inundated parts of the district earlier this week.
Separately, authorities also flagged a potential threat of flooding in the Jhelum River following forecasts of heavy rains in its catchment areas.
