Pakistan: 33 dead, 2200 villages affected in Punjab floods

Lahore [Pakistan], August 31 (ANI): Monsoon fury continues in Pakistan's Punjab province as heavy rainfall and flooding claimed lives of 33 people, affected 2,200 villages, and forced the evacuation of more than 700,000 residents, ARY News reported.

Irfan Ali Kathia, Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, said the province is facing one of the most severe floods in its history, with all three rivers running dangerously high.

He added that water levels in the Sutlej River near Kasur are beginning to subside, offering some relief to nearby communities.

Kathia noted that a flow of 135,000 cusecs is expected to reach Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, and Vehari by tomorrow, prompting further precautionary evacuations, ARY News reported.

Villagers in affected districts such as Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur are continuing to move to safer areas as floodwaters advance. At Treemoon Barrage, water discharge has climbed sharply to 361,633 cusecs, representing a sudden increase of 100,000 cusecs in a short span of time.

The DG said local and provincial authorities are breaching embankments strategically to control the flooding and reduce its impact on vulnerable communities, ARY News reported.

The PDMA reported that approximately 2 million people across Punjab have been affected. Relief teams are operating in the worst-hit districts, and thousands of livestock have also been shifted to secure locations.

Kathia emphasized that the ninth spell of monsoon rains has exacerbated the situation, causing widespread damage and heightening the flood risk across the province.

Meanwhile, In Sindh more than 1.6 million people across 1,657 villages could be affected in the province due to the floods, Sindh's Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon stated.

Addressing the media on Saturday, Memon said the provincial government had mobilised its machinery and was taking preventive measures to manage the potential crisis. He added that ministers are on-site, and district authorities are actively involved.

His warning comes as extensive areas in Punjab have been submerged, where at least 30 people have lost their lives and over 1.5 million have been affected. The flooding is caused by rising Sutlej, Chenab, and Ravi rivers due to heavy rainfall. Authorities are relocating residents to safer locations, with roughly 481,000 people already evacuated from affected areas, Geo News reported. (ANI)

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