Pakistan Battles Unprecedented Flood Crisis
(MENAFN) Fatalities from devastating flooding in Pakistan's northeastern Punjab province have surged to 30 across three days, while officials execute emergency embankment breaches in frantic efforts to protect major urban centers from catastrophic inundation, a government minister announced Saturday.
Military-supported rescue operations are extracting thousands of residents trapped in flood-ravaged zones as enormous torrents surge southward toward the massive Indus River.
Punjab's Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb informed journalists in provincial capital Lahore that nearly half a million individuals have been relocated from various districts.
This marks an unprecedented crisis in the nation's 78-year existence, as three eastern waterways—Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej—have simultaneously overflowed, submerging over 2,000 villages and impacting more than 1.5 million residents to date.
Aurangzeb reported that approximately 500 emergency shelters have been established provincewide to accommodate displaced populations.
Video broadcast by local media depicted rescue teams extracting people seeking refuge on rooftops and in trees throughout flood-stricken areas of Kasur district.
Additional footage captured rescuers using loudspeakers, urging residents near riverbanks and low-elevation zones to evacuate immediately.
In Multan, anticipated to face the approaching floods Sunday, administrative officials have set an objective to relocate 300,000 inhabitants to secure areas by Saturday evening.
Authorities in southern Sindh province have warned downstream communities to prepare for mandatory relocations as the Indus River is expected to reach high flood levels next week.
"We have put the people and authorities on high alert as the floodwaters from the three rivers are coming to Indus River," Jam Khan Shoro, a provincial minister overseeing Sindh relief operations, told reporters.
Current flooding represents the most severe crisis since 2022's catastrophic deluges that submerged one-third of the country, killing over 1,700 people and generating $32 billion in infrastructure damages, according to government data.
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