Daily Times

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Punjab on Thursday said that a rescue operation was under way in Kasur district after water from the Sutlej river flooded villages, a private TV channel reported.

According to PDMA Director General Imran Qureshi, floodwater entered 15 villages adjacent to Sutlej, while four villages were deprived of electricity. Standing crops spread across acres were also washed away in the floods.

The northern states of India, where the catchment areas of Sutlej and Ravi rivers are located, have witnessed torrential downpours in the past week. As a result, India is releasing more water towards the downstream areas in Pakistan.

In Pakistan, the Meteorological Department has forecasted another spell of monsoon rains from July 13 (today) to 17 in the upper and central parts of the country.

Talking to reporters during a visit to Kasur and neighbouring districts, DG Qureshi said 11,000 people from 11 villages had been moved to safer locations. “The district administration has set up 11 relief camps that can accommodate 5,000 to 3,000 people.”

He said so far no deaths had been reported. “More than 1,100 rescue personnel have been deployed to safely evacuate the remaining villagers,” the PDMA official stated, adding that the authorities won’t compromise on the protection of the life of the people.

Qureshi further recalled that a grand rescue operation had been underway for the last three days in which more than 70 boats were used.

Separately, the Flood Forecasting Division said in a report that Sutlej was flowing in medium-level flood at Ganda Singhwala, Kasur, and low-level at Sulemanki headworks.

It added that the flow in Indus, Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi rivers was normal.

In a statement issued earlier, the PDMA said the district administrations of Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, and Wazirabad had been placed on high alert in response to the flood situation.

It said in Bahawalnagar district, 26 rescue and relief camps have been set up, with 578 officers and personnel assigned to duty. In Pakpattan district, 20 rescue and relief camps have been established, involving 220 personnel. Additionally, Wazirabad and Okara districts have 12 camps each.

The PDMA also reported that Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed was “closely monitoring the situation across all districts”, with an appropriate increase in the number of personnel involved to address the challenges effectively.