Floodwaters from Punjab enter Sindh

SUKKUR/RAJANPUR: Floodwaters flowing down from Punjab have entered Sindh, prompting authorities at Sukkur Barrage to declare a medium-level flood.

Currently, a flow of 400,000 cusecs is passing through the barrage, which has a total capacity of 900,000 cusecs.

Water levels in the Indus River have risen again at Guddu and Sukkur barrages, with Pano Aqil’s riverine belt (katcha area) facing medium-level flooding.

Pakistan Navy personnel are actively engaged in relocating residents from low-lying areas to safer places. At Guddu Barrage, inflows have reached 495,000 cusecs, while Sukkur Barrage is recording 402,000 cusecs.

At Trimmu, water inflow and outflow stand at 260,000 cusecs, while Kotri Barrage is registering 257,000 cusecs.

In Khanpur, the Indus continues to swell at Chachran, with a floodwave of 700,000 cusecs passing through. Authorities warn that the flow may rise to 900,000 cusecs within hours.

Several settlements have already been submerged, and district administrations have set up flood relief camps while declaring high alert across affected regions.

In Punjab, exceptionally high flood levels were recorded at Head Panjnad and Head Sidhnai, with water inflows and outflows reaching 660,000 cusecs. Liaquatpur has also been severely impacted, where 35 villages have been inundated and over 80,000 residents displaced.

In Jalalpur Pirwala, authorities created a breach in the Gilani Bund to save the town, causing nearby villages including Bahadur Pur and Basti Lang to be submerged. Officials noted that these areas have sparse population but extensive agricultural land.

The raging Chenab River has wreaked havoc across South Punjab, with mounting pressure reported at Shershah Bund in Multan.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that river flows have significantly receded due to a reduction in monsoon rains. Rainfall in upper catchment areas has also subsided.

According to PDMA data, water flow at Sutlej (Ganda Singh Wala) is at 182,000 cusecs, Marala 50,000 cusecs, Ravi at Jassar 23,000 cusecs, Khanki Headworks 92,000 cusecs, Qadirabad 94,000 cusecs, and Trimmu 178,000 cusecs with further decline observed.

At Panjnad, however, inflows remain high at 660,000 cusecs. Flow at Sulemanki stands at 124,000 cusecs, Shahdara (Ravi) 31,000 cusecs, Balloki Headworks 63,000 cusecs, and Sidhnai 78,000 cusecs, where levels are now gradually receding.