Over one million displaced in Punjab as torrential monsoon rains hit Pakistan

Islamabad, Aug 29 (IANS) As torrential monsoon rain has wreaked havoc in Pakistan since late June, over a million people have been displaced across the Punjab province, which is grappling with one of the most severe flood emergencies in recent years, local media reported.

According to Pakistani emergency service Rescue 1122 officials, 22 people were killed in flood-related incidents over the past few days in the province.

The fatalities were reported across several districts of the province, including Gujrat, where three children were swept away after an embankment collapsed, and in Sialkot, where five members of one family were killed when their house was washed away in the devastating flood.

Further casualties were recorded in Gujranwala, Hafizabad, and Narowal as overflowing rivers and streams broke the protective barriers. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise further as rescue teams reached the inaccessible villages.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned that relentless rainfall could worsen flood conditions along the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers over the next 48 hours, while authorities struggled with the aftermath of catastrophic floods

“People should immediately contact local authorities and rescue officials in case of emergency,” the Pakistani leading daily, The Express Tribune, quoted the NDMA as saying.

With water levels rising in the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers, the surging flows triggered mass evacuations, wiped out standing crops across thousands of acres, and submerged entire villages in Punjab.

The raging flood forced residents to flee with their children, livestock, and essentials. “We left with great difficulty, no one helped us,” one displaced villager said.

In Punjab’s Kasur, Pakpattan, and Bahawalnagar districts, the overflowing river submerged entire settlements.

Authorities reported that several Lahore neighbourhoods, including Manga Mandi, Noul, Jhuggian, and Wara Abdullah, were severely affected.

Meanwhile, in the Shahdara region of Lahore, floodwaters inundated residential areas, forcing many residents to evacuate early, while some remain trapped. “We are forced to evacuate on our own. The government should provide shelter and assess our losses,” one resident said.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department predicts heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across the country, including central and northern Punjab, over the next 48 hours.

Following the Meteorological Department’s forecast, the NDMA issued an alert of extensive rainfall and thunderstorms from August 29 to September 2, cautioning about flooding and landslides in several regions across Pakistan.

Authorities urged people residing near low-lying and riverside areas to evacuate immediately.

--IANS

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