Punjab braces for major flooding as rivers overflow, army called in for rescue efforts

Punjab is facing the threat of potentially devastating floods after continuous rains caused the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers to overflow. The situation worsened when India released around 200,000 cusecs of water into the Ravi River, creating an emergency with dangerously high water levels.

An extremely high flood was recorded at Head Marala on the Chenab River. The Flood Forecasting Division Lahore reported similar conditions at Ganda Singh Wala on the Sutlej and at Jasar on the Ravi.

Water levels are critically high at Khanki in the Chenab, while moderate flooding is being observed at Shahdara in the Ravi and Sulemanki in the Sutlej.

A low-level flood has also been recorded at Sukkur Barrage on the Indus River. Officials have warned of possible inundation in low-lying areas of Shahdara and along sections of Motorway-2 due to flood relay from the Ravi River.

In response, the Punjab government has requested military assistance for rescue and evacuation operations in the affected areas. The Pakistan Army has been deployed to support the civil administration and safeguard lives in six districts, Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Narowal, and Okara.

Read more: India informs Pakistan about Sutlej River flood in second contact in a day

The Punjab Home Department has formally written to the Federal Interior Ministry, seeking deployment of troops. The number of army personnel assigned to each district was finalized in coordination with local administrations.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a high alert for the Ravi River, particularly in the Shahdara area. The flow at Head Marala has exceeded 900,000 cusecs, far surpassing its capacity of 110,000 cusecs, indicating an extremely dangerous flood level.

Downstream, the situation is also critical. The flow at the Ravi Bridge has already crossed 200,000 cusecs, with water from Kot Nina (currently at 250,000 cusecs) expected to reach the bridge in the next 12 hours.

This could cause the flow at the bridge to exceed its design capacity of 275,000 cusecs.

The NDMA stated that it is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating the safe evacuation of residents. The public is advised to take all necessary safety precautions.