LAHORE: Widespread flooding caused by the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers has displaced hundreds of thousands of people across Punjab, submerging villages, damaging infrastructure and destroying vast tracts of farmland.
The rivers, swollen by heavy rains and water releases from Indian dams, have reached dangerous levels. Officials warned that floodwaters from four rivers could converge in southern Punjab today, worsening the crisis.
According to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), at least 17 people have lost their lives so far, including five in Sialkot, four in Gujrat, three in Narowal, two in Hafizabad and one in Gujranwala. More than 600,000 people have been affected, while some 150,000 individuals and 35,000 livestock have been evacuated to safer places. Relief and medical camps—including veterinary services—are operational in the affected districts.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said nearly 40,000 people had been rescued from Sialkot, Sargodha, Chiniot, Gujranwala, Nankana Sahib, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Lahore, Narowal, Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Bahawalpur and Lodhran.
By Thursday midnight, three locations were placed under a “very high flood” alert.
Chenab devastation
Along the Chenab, 333 villages with more than 150,000 residents were inundated, including 133 in Sialkot, 100 in Chiniot and 52 in Jhang. In northern Sialkot, the Bajwat area between the Chenab and Tawi rivers was badly hit, with around 70 villages submerged. Rescue teams reported that road links to Sialkot city had been completely cut off.
Sutlej flooding
Along the Sutlej, 335 villages with a combined population of nearly 380,000 were affected. Kasur was the worst-hit, with 72 villages and almost 450,000 people impacted. Floods also devastated Okara, Pakpattan, Vehari, Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur, prompting authorities to establish more than 200 relief and medical camps in these districts.
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Ravi impact
Floodwaters from the Ravi submerged dozens of villages in Narowal and Shakargarh. In Narowal alone, 35 to 40 villages were reported under water. The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara complex was partially submerged, stranding Sikh pilgrims and staff before being evacuated in an operation overseen by Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. Over 150 people were rescued.
The Narowal-Shakargarh road was cut off for several kilometres, while breaches in embankments worsened flooding in rural Sialkot, damaging roads and bridges. Downstream, floodwaters spread to Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Okara and parts of Faisalabad’s Tandlianwala tehsil.
Rescue and relief efforts
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz chaired a meeting where it was reported that more than 600,000 people across 769 villages had been affected. Relief operations are being carried out by the Pakistan Army, Rescue 1122, PDMA, police and local administrations.
Food distribution is underway in Sialkot, Sambrial and Pasrur, while evacuations continue in Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot and Wazirabad.
Authorities warned that the situation remains critical as floodwaters move south, threatening additional districts in the coming days.
