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Pakistan braces for more flooding as India releases additional water into Sutlej: Officials

By The South Asia Times

LAHORE – The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Monday warned of worsening flood conditions as India released more water into the Sutlej river, triggering an “exceptionally high flood” at Ganda Singh Wala headworks.

According to PDMA, the surge in water levels is expected to persist in the coming days. Authorities have been instructed to remain on high alert and to expedite precautionary evacuations from vulnerable villages located along the Sutlej’s course, according to daily Dawn.

The advisory further cautioned that a “very high flood” is expected to continue at Panjnad headworks on the Chenab river for the next 24 hours. The additional inflows could cause further inundation in already affected areas, where rescue teams are working round the clock to shift people and livestock to safer places.

Separately, the PDMA also issued a flash flood warning for the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts. The authority said heavy rainfall between September 8 and 10 could trigger dangerous flooding in seasonal nullahs, adding to the plight of communities that have already been displaced by earlier waves of flooding.

So far, more than 4.1 million people in 4,100 villages across 25 districts of Punjab have been affected since August 26. Official figures confirm that at least 56 people have lost their lives. Over 20 million residents and 15 million cattle have been shifted to safer areas, while the government has established 425 relief camps and nearly 500 medical facilities to cater to the displaced.

With more water expected to flow into southern Punjab and Sindh in the coming days, authorities have urged residents near riverbanks to take precautionary measures. Emergency declarations remain in place in multiple districts.