Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday announced a major relief measure for flood-hit people, directing electricity distribution companies to immediately stop the collection of August 2025 electricity bills in flood-affected areas.
Chairing a high-level meeting on the issue, the prime minister said a comprehensive relief package regarding electricity bills for the affected regions would be finalized and announced after the conclusion of talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He further instructed that electricity bills already paid by flood-affected consumers for August 2025 will be adjusted in the upcoming month’s bills.
Highlighting the scale of devastation, PM Shehbaz Sharif said floods had displaced and affected millions of people across Pakistan. “In this difficult time, we are making every possible effort to ease the pain of our people,” he added. The prime minister emphasized that federal and provincial institutions were fully engaged in rescue and rehabilitation operations. “We will not rest until every flood victim has returned to their home,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, at least 101 people have died in Punjab due to widespread flooding, officials said, as more than 4,700 villages and around 4.57 million residents have been affected across the province.
Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed of the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Saturday that about 2.51 million people had been relocated to safer areas.
According to a PDMA report on flood damages, the Chenab River inundated 2,489 villages, while the Sutlej and Ravi rivers affected 701 and 1,458 villages respectively.
The PDMA reported that an extremely high-level flood was passing through Panjnad with a discharge of 575,000 cusecs. At Head Muhammad Wala, the water level stood at 410.5 ft against the high flood mark of 417.5 ft, while at Shershah Bridge the flow was 392.7 ft against the danger level of 393.5 ft. The PDMA said water levels at both points are expected to fall significantly within 48 hours.
On the Ravi, a medium-level flood of 57,000 cusecs was recorded at Head Sadhnai, while the Sutlej experienced low-level flooding with 83,000 cusecs at Ganda Singh Wala and 87,000 cusecs at Sulemanki.
The PDMA also highlighted reservoir levels, noting that Mangla Dam is 93% full and Tarbela Dam has reached capacity, while India’s Bhakra, Pong, and Thein dams were at 88%, 94%, and 89% capacity respectively.
Normal flows were reported at Marala, Qadirabad (61,000 cusecs), Trimmu (108,000 cusecs), Shahdara (31,000 cusecs), and Jassar (12,000 cusecs), as well as Khanki (68,000 cusecs). Bloaki Headworks registered 48,000 cusecs, with a low-level flood.
The PDMA said river flows across Punjab are gradually returning to normal as rains have stopped in the upper catchment areas.