Key points
- Evacuations underway in Shujaabad, Liaquatpur
- Over 4,000 villages are submerged in Punjab
- Floods are now heading towards Sindh province
ISLAMABAD: Floodwaters that threatened to engulf a major town in eastern Punjab began to recede on Saturday, easing fears for nearly 700,000 residents. But the crisis is far from over: rising waters have now inundated villages near two nearby cities, triggering chaotic evacuations, officials said.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, water levels around Jalalpur Pirwala — which earlier touched the official danger mark — are falling and expected to decline further within 48 hours.
Elsewhere, emergency teams rushed to evacuate families from Shujaabad and Liaquatpur as overflowing rivers submerged surrounding farmland and homes.
The floods, triggered by relentless monsoon rains and glacial melt, have so far killed at least 900 people across Pakistan, according to officials. Crops, livestock, and entire communities have been swept away, with Punjab, Sindh, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa among the worst-hit. More than 2.4 million people have been relocated in Punjab, while 150,000 have been evacuated in Sindh.
Suffering catastrophic flooding
Nearly 100 people have lost their lives across Punjab since last month, according to PDMA figures.
“We hope that within 48 hours, the floodwaters of the Chenab and Sutlej rivers will recede further, enabling displaced people to return,” said Mazhar Hussain, a spokesman for the authority.
He warned, however, that the floodwaters are now moving towards Sindh province in the south — an area that suffered catastrophic flooding in 2022, when climate-induced rains claimed 1,739 lives across Pakistan.
In Jalalpur Pirwala, conditions began to ease for displaced families taking shelter in relief camps or under the open sky, after intervention by Punjab authorities.
Pakistan is already facing one of the world’s worst climate emergencies, with rising temperatures accelerating glacier melt and intensifying extreme weather. Authorities have warned of further heavy rains in central Punjab and Azad Kashmir between September 16 and 18, even as the country reels from the damage.
Agriculture has been the most devastated sector, with widespread crop losses and farming communities left in crisis.
