• Over 600,000 affected as floodwaters sweep central parts of province
• 15 die in Gujranwala divison
• More than 150,000 people, 35,000 heads of livestock shifted to safety
• Hundreds of villages affected across Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej belts
• Kartarpur Sahib complex submerged, 150 pilgrims rescued
• 263 relief, 161 medical camps set up
• Officials fear river surge may hit S. Punjab next
LAHORE: Large swathes of Punjab are submerged as catastrophic flooding in the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers forced hundreds of thousands from their homes, causing significant damage to infrastructure and devastates millions of acres of agricultural land.
The three trans-boundary rivers have swollen to exceptionally high levels due to a combination of heavy rains and the excess water India is releasing from dams, which then flows across the border.
The crisis, which affects central districts, now threatens south Punjab as the combined thrust of four rivers is set to converge on Thursday.
The flooding has prompted the government to call in the army for assistance in eight districts: Sialkot, Narowal, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Lahore, Kasur, Okara and Faisalabad.
Gujranwala’s commissioner said in a statement 15 people have lost their lives in the floods, including five in Sialkot, four in Gujrat, three in Narowal, two in Hafizabad and one in Gujranwala.
Official figures confirm that over 150,000 people and 35,000 livestock heads were shifted to safe places, and relief camps, along with medical and veterinary camps, were established in flood-affected areas.
Punjab estimates that over 600,000 people have been affected, while UN-OCHA said the death toll from this monsoon season is almost three times the fatalities recorded in the same period last year.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmad said 39,638 people were evacuated from different districts, including Sialkot, Sargodha, Chiniot, Gujranwala, Nankana, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Lahore, Narowal, Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Bahawalpur and Lodhran.
As of midnight Thursday, three points were classified under “exceptionally high flood”: Khanki Headworks on the Chenab River, with an outflow of 966,427 cusecs and a falling trend; Qadirabad Headworks on the Chenab, with 1,054,883 cusecs on a steady trend; and Ganda Singh Wala on the Sutlej River, recording 261,053 cusecs, also steady.
A cusec is a volume equivalent to one cubic foot, or 28 cubic litres, per second.
The Ravi River at Jassar was in “very high flood”, with a steady outflow of 166,500 cusecs. “High flood” was reported at Marala on the Chenab, with 246,970 cusecs and a falling trend, and at Shahdara on the Ravi, with 99,700 cusecs on a rising trend.
Meanwhile, “medium flood” conditions were observed at Balloki on the Ravi, recording 82,070 cusecs with a rising trend, and at Sulemanki on the Sutlej, with 109,305 cusecs on a steady trend.
The PDMA on Wednesday warned of a possible breach at the Qadirabad Headworks, raising fears of severe flooding in Hafizabad and Chiniot districts.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said water pressure at the headworks had been increasing steadily, creating a critical situation. “If the structure gives way, both Hafizabad and Chiniot will be badly affected,” he cautioned.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia told reporters that a major flood surge is moving through the river system, with key infrastructure remaining secure and large-scale evacuations underway in vulnerable areas.
He said the Head Marala structure is safe, and water levels there are now receding, while the flood surge is currently passing through Khanki Headworks and is expected to reach the Panjnad area without causing damage.
DG Kathia reported that approximately 150,000 people have been relocated to secure locations so far. He said the government has allocated Rs 900 million for emergency response.
Affected areas
More than 150,000 people have been affected in 333 villages along the banks of the Chenab River. Some 133 villages in Sialkot, 16 in Wazirabad, 20 in Gujrat, 12 in Mandi Bahauddin, 100 in Chiniot and 52 in Jhang have been worst affected due to the flood.
Some 380,768 citizens from 335 villages along the banks of the Sutlej River have been affected by the floods. As many as 104 relief camps and 105 medical camps are functioning to help and provide care to the flood victims.
The cities affected due to the flood in the Sutlej River include Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Multan, Vehari, Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur.
Some 72 villages and 450,000 people in Kasur district, 12 villages in Pakpattan, 23 in Vehari, 75 in Bahawalnagar and 15 villages in Bahawalpur were badly affected by the high level of flooding in the Sutlej River.
The Communication and Works Department reported that several highways were submerged in the flood-affected districts, particularly Narowal, Shakargarh and Sialkot.
The Sialkot-Pasrur dual carriageway has been submerged for nearly one kilometre, while at Kotli Chahoor, the Naala Dek embankment breach has affected the highway and the Kona Drain Bridge was also damaged.
According to BBC Urdu, the Ravi swelled with water flowing in from Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir, submerging dozens of villages in Narowal district.
According to residents and rescue workers, between 35 and 40 villages in Narowal have been submerged due to the rising river.
Local journalist Raheel told the BBC that the surge in the Ravi had inundated parts of the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib complex under several feet of water.
Sikh pilgrims and employees who had come to the gurdwara were trapped in the flood.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Narowal Deputy Commissioner Syed Hassan Raza and Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Punjab Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora supervised the Kartarpur rescue operation and rescued the people trapped in the flood.
Four teams rescued more than 150 Sikh pilgrims and employees of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and shifted them to a safe place.
The Narowal-Shakargarh road was also submerged along a three- to four-kilometre stretch, leaving surrounding villages completely cut off.
In Zafarwal tehsil of Narowal, dozens of villages were reported underwater due to the overflowing streams. The town of Kanjroor, with a population of nearly 20,000, was said to be at high risk of flooding.
Rising waters in Nala Dek have worsened the situation, with protective embankments breached at several points and the bridge at Hanjli completely washed away. The overflowing stream has also inundated parts of rural Sialkot, disrupting the Chawinda-Zafarwal road.
The Ravi’s floodwaters have spread downstream, affecting Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib and Okara, while also threatening Faisalabad’s Tandlianwala tehsil and parts of Sahiwal.
In Nankana Sahib, areas including Hira, Jattan Dawara, Nawan Kot, Khizra Abad and Lalo Ana were inundated, alongside Sheikh Datol, Gujran da Thatta, Khoh Sadiq, Dera Hakim and Dera Mehr Ashraf.
In Okara, floodwaters from the Ravi entered Jandran Kalan village, home to more than 30,000 people, as well as Jehdu and Jhandu Manj.
In Faisalabad, authorities warned that Ravi floodwaters could affect Tandlianwala tehsil, with over 100 settlements at risk, including Basti Jamun Dolon, Jali Taryana, Jali Fatyana, Mari Patan, Shiraza and Thatta Dokaan. Floods in the Chenab River have impacted districts including Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Gujrat, Wazirabad, Hafizabad, Chiniot and Jhang.
Wazirabad-based journalist Aqeel Lodhi told BBC Urdu that Chenab waters had entered parts of the city, severely affecting Sohdra and surrounding areas. In northern Sialkot, the Bajwat region — situated between the Chenab and the Tawi rivers — was heavily inundated, submerging nearly 70 villages. Rescue officials confirmed that access roads linking these villages to Sialkot city were completely cut off.
Rescue, relief operations
A meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was informed that some 601,126 citizens of 769 villages of the province had been affected due to floods in the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers.
Some 263 relief camps and 161 medical camps have been established to help and look after the flood victims, along with providing them with food, medical treatment and temporary shelters.
Food, water and other items are being provided to the flood victims in Sambrial, Sialkot and Pasrur.
An operation has been carried out to relocate citizens from other flood-affected areas, including Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot, and Pulkho Nullah Wazirabad.
Pakistan Army, district administration, police, Rescue 1122, PDMA and other relevant departments are jointly participating in the rescue and relief operation.
Zulqernain Tahir in Lahore and Shahab Nafees in Karachi also contributed to this report. With input from APP and Reuters
Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2025
