Floods have claimed 46 lives in Punjab and affected over 3.5 million people, officials said on Thursday. The disaster has hit nearly 3,944 villages across the province. Tens of thousands have been displaced and are taking shelter in relief camps. Many regions remain underwater as rescue and relief operations continue.
Director General of Punjab PDMA, Irfan Ali Kathia, said that 25,000 to 30,000 people are currently staying in relief camps. Over 1.49 million people have been rescued so far. Authorities have also evacuated more than one million livestock to safer areas. Relief teams are working round-the-clock in flood-hit zones.
The floodwaters from River Ravi have now reached the railway bridge in Multan. At Sidhnai, Ravi’s floodwaters are unable to merge into the Chenab River due to high water levels there. Officials say this situation will remain until the Chenab’s water level drops significantly.
According to the Flood Forecasting Division, a high-level flood is ongoing at the Balloki point on River Ravi. The water inflow and outflow there is 114,130 cusecs. An extremely high flood is also reported at Sidhnai, where the inflow is 160,580 cusecs and the outflow is 157,580 cusecs.
A moderate flood has been recorded at Jassar on River Ravi with 85,980 cusecs flowing in and out. Authorities are closely monitoring the rivers and advising people in low-lying areas to move to safer ground. Emergency measures have been put in place to control the worsening flood situation across the region.