Flood ebbs in Punjab but misery doesn't

LAHORE:

Disaster management officials announced the end of the monsoon season, yet flood threats persisted in southern Punjab on Tuesday as the province prepared to pick up the pieces after a calamitous deluge that affected more than four million people, their homes, and their crops.

While floodwaters have eased pressure in Punjab's upper regions, they continue to surge through southern districts and drain into the Indus River, prompting the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to issue fresh alerts for Sindh and Balochistan.

The disaster has so far claimed 66 lives in Punjab and damaged an estimated 1.95 million acres of farmland. Among the victims were 13 people, including five children, who died as floods devastated Jalalpur Pirwala on Tuesday.

"The tenth and final monsoon spell has concluded, with no fresh major rainfall expected in upper Punjab," Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) chief Irfan Ali Kathia said. "Flows are receding in the north, but the south continues to bear the brunt as waters surge toward Sindh."

In a sign of improvement, authorities noted that residents from camps in Gujrat and Narowal districts had begun returning to their homes. Officials said they expected those villages would move toward normalcy within four to five days.

Meanwhile, authorities in Multan and Muzaffargarh were weighing desperate measures, including breaching the Shershah flood protection embankment along the Chenab River if levels rise beyond 393.5 feet. A breach could inundate 20 to 30 villages, but officials argue it may be the only way to save Multan.

Pakistan Railways has warned that if the Shershah embankment is breached, services on the Multan–Rawalpindi line - including the Mehr Express and Thal Express - will be suspended, and even the Multan–Karachi main line could be threatened.

Further south, embankments in Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan remain under strain but are still holding, officials said. However, breaches near smaller villages such as Panoohar have displaced hundreds.

In Uch Sharif, dozens of settlements have gone under water. Torrential rains also submerged tent camps in Multan, while rescue boats capsized in Liaquatpur and Muzaffargarh, killing four. More than 100 villages in Jalalpur Pirwala remain inundated.

Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed said that 4.2 million people across 4,300 villages were affected, with more than 2.16 million evacuated. The province has set up 417 relief camps, 498 medical camps, and 431 veterinary centres, moving 1.57 million animals to safety.

Nationwide, the NDMA said nearly 928 people have died and more than 1,000 injured since late June. Over 8,100 houses have been destroyed or damaged, with the heaviest losses reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. Livestock losses exceed 6,000.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a high-level committee to assess agricultural and food security losses. The panel will estimate damage to cash crops such as cotton, rice, sugarcane, and maize, while also examining the impact on livestock, fodder, and exports.

Kathia emphasised that the government would announce a major relief package for affected families. "This is one of the largest flood events in Punjab's history," he said. "But with coordinated efforts, we have saved millions of lives and will continue supporting recovery in the weeks ahead."

As floodwaters from Punjab poured southward, Sindh and Balochistan braced for the impact. Amid warnings of thunderstorm, rain and possible hill torrents from the Kirthar range, the NDMA issued flood alerts for Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, and several other districts.

With Sukkur Barrage already receiving 375,000 cusecs, authorities have opened all gates to ease pressure. Officials say the next 48 hours are critical. If river peaks coincide with fresh rains, medium-level flooding in Sindh could escalate into a wider catastrophe.