Key points
- Local authorities say efforts to mitigate damage to key motorway underway
- Gujrat experiences severe urban flooding
- Sukkur Barrage in Sindh faces medium-level flooding
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: A section of the eastern side of the M5 Motorway in Jalalpur Pirwala in Pakistan’s Punjab province has been washed away by floodwaters, according to the local police chief.
The western section of the motorway had already been affected earlier, with floodwaters from the River Sutlej now flowing towards the Chenab River, Geo News reported.
The United Nations said more than six million people in all have been affected after local officials said cloudbursts and a heavier-than-usual monsoon caused landslides and massive flooding since June 26. More than 12,500 houses have been damaged and 6,500 livestock lost in addition to the widespread destruction of crops across the country, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Mitigation efforts
Motorway police, along with National Highway Authority (NHA) personnel, are working on-site to mitigate further damage.
Heavy machinery is being deployed, and stones are being placed in the breached areas to divert the flow of water and prevent additional harm to the motorway infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in Gujrat, the city has been grappling with severe urban flooding following a two-hour downpour that brought daily life to a standstill.
ALSO READ: Long, Intense 2025 Monsoon Ends
According to Dawn newspaper, several areas also experienced hailstorms, and the city endured power outages lasting between five to eight hours.
In Sindh province, a medium-level flood situation persists at the Sukkur Barrage. Authorities reported a water inflow of 420,470 cusecs and an outflow of 367,090 cusecs, with the flow decreasing by 79,000 cusecs over the past 24 hours. Of this, 53,000 cusecs are being directed to the barrage canals.
20 ستمبر صبح 6 بجے ڈیمز لیول اور دریاؤں کے اہم مقامات پر پانی کے بہاؤ اور سیلابی سطح کی صورتحال۔ #FFDLahore pic.twitter.com/NJNhQnjrQV
— FFDLahore (@ffdlhr) September 20, 2025
Punjab’s Chief Minister, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, stated that the provincial government has successfully relocated over 250,000 individuals from flood-affected areas to safer locations.
پنجاب حکومت نے سیلاب کے دوران بروقت کاروائی کر کے اڑھائی لاکھ سے زائد افراد کو محفوظ مقامات پر پہنچایا ہے۔۔۔
وزیر اعلیٰ پنجاب مریم نواز شریف کا سرگودھا میں الیکٹرک بسوں کے منصوبے کی افتتاحی تقریب سے خطاب۔۔۔ pic.twitter.com/yaTyVFNFDl— Government of Punjab (@GovtofPunjabPK) September 19, 2025
Speaking at the inauguration of the electric bus project in Sargodha, she emphasised that all available resources were being deployed to manage the ongoing natural disaster.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has confirmed that the 2025 monsoon season has largely retreated from most parts of the country.
The PMD forecasts that hot and dry conditions will prevail in the flood-hit regions of Punjab and Sindh in the coming days, while the northern areas of the country will experience moderately cooler temperatures at night.
