Punjab launches flood rescue, relief operation amid record inundation

Heavy rains ongoing in Lahore, Gujrat, flash flooding disrupting life 24 hour

Punjab’s Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday the province is experiencing the worst flooding in its history, with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif leading what she described as the “largest and fastest” rescue and relief operation ever undertaken in Punjab.

According to official figures, 56 people have died and more than 4.2 million affected as 4,155 villages across Punjab remain inundated. Standing crops on 1.496 million acres have been destroyed.

A breakdown shows 1,957 villages along the Chenab, 1,477 along the Ravi, 625 near the Sutlej, and 96 by the Indus submerged. Flooding from the Indus alone has displaced or directly affected 244,000 people.

Aurangzeb said more than 2.2 million people have been relocated since August 22. Relief operations include 494 medical camps and 413 relief camps working around the clock.

Over 1,000 field hospitals, maternal health vans, and mobile clinics are active, while more than 500 veterinary camps are treating livestock. An estimated 1.6 million animals have also been shifted to safer areas.

Essential supplies — including food, drinking water, insulin, and other medicines — are being distributed, while mosquito-spraying campaigns are underway. Extra machinery and staff have been deployed in the most severely affected districts.

Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said the tenth monsoon spell is underway, with 72 mm of rain recorded in Mandi Bahauddin and 40 mm in Jhelum. Heavy rains are ongoing in Lahore and Gujrat, where flash flooding has disrupted life for the past 24 hours.

In one incident, a boat capsized in Jalalpur Pirwala, killing five people, including four children. Rescue 1122 saved 10 passengers.

The chief minister has taken notice of the tragedy, while the district administration arranged burials and announced financial aid for the victims’ families.

Rescue 1122 has completed 25,146 operations across Punjab. In Gujrat, drainage work is ongoing and most major roads have reopened, though water remains on Jinnah Chowk and Kacheri Road.

DG Kathia said water levels are stabilising in the Sutlej, with no rising trend at Ganda Singh. However, at Trimmu Headworks, a flood peak of 583,000 cusecs has been reached and is expected to exceed 600,000 cusecs within 18 hours. At Head Punjnad, flows are also likely to cross 600,000 cusecs.

So far, floods have damaged 4,155 settlements in 25 districts, with 60,000 to 70,000 people still in relief camps. More than 200,000 patients have been treated in 500 active medical camps. The death toll across Punjab stands at 56.