Published on: September 9, 2025 12:41 AM
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Monday said the flood situation in the province is worsening, with torrential rains and overflowing rivers wreaking havoc in southern Punjab.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Bokhari said flood victims are enduring severe hardships due to heavy rainfall and stagnant water.
She added that the government has responded effectively to the disaster, and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is preparing to announce a major relief package. Updating the scale of devastation, she said floods have so far claimed 60 lives across Punjab, while 4,335 villages and 4.2 million people have been directly affected.
Nearly 1.86 million acres of agricultural land are under water, damaging crops and causing price hikes in vegetables and pulses. She added that 2.1 million people and 1.5 million livestock have been relocated to safer places.
Azma Bokhari noted that dengue outbreaks have also been reported in flood-hit areas, prompting widespread fumigation drives. She urged citizens to cooperate with local administrations and avoid entering flood-affected zones without official clearance.
She stressed that the intensity of the floods cannot be underestimated, saying, “Floods are not a spectacle or a source of amusement.
The water flow is extremely dangerous, yet people are posting videos and treating it like entertainment.”
The minister said emergency conditions had been declared in Khan Bela and Jalalpur, urging citizens to take the crisis seriously. She further appealed to the public to follow dengue prevention measures as the authorities intensify fumigation and relief operations.
Mass relocations
Severe flooding in the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers as well as heavy rains have triggered mass evacuations across Punjab, with officials now warning that over while more than 2.48 million people were directly affected, while people in millions along both banks of the rivers are at risk.
The flood situation in these major rivers of Punjab has taken a dangerous turn.
According to a PDMA report, a total of 3,129 locations across Punjab were affected due to severe flood conditions in the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers, while 932,323 people have been shifted to safe places so far. Likewise, 390 relief camps have been established across the province for the accommodation and food of the victims, where 16,218 people are staying and they are being provided with food and other facilities.
A document of the Authority reveals that the situation of extremely high flood levels persists at various places in the Sutlej, Chenab and Ravi rivers, while the water flow is continuously increasing at other places.
According to the PDMA sources, the water flow at the Sutlej Ganda Singh Wala point is 319 thousand cusecs, which is an extremely high flood level, the Sutlej Sulemanki river is experiencing high flood levels with 135 thousand cusecs, the Chenab Marala river recorded a water flow of 84 thousand cusecs, and the Chenab river is experiencing low flood levels with 147 thousand cusecs at the Khanki and Qadirabad barrages.
Apart from this, the situation is most serious at the headworks where the water flow is 543,000 cusecs, which indicates a very high level of flood, low level flood at the Ravi at Jasar with 45,000 cusecs. Similarly, there is a high level of flood at Shahdara with 90,000 cusecs, severe flood at the Balloki headworks with 139,000 cusecs and at the head Sudhanai with 123,000 cusecs.
PDMA said there is a possibility of very high level of flood in the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers by September 9. Due to the ongoing heavy rains in the upper areas, the flow of the rivers may increase significantly.ax
The DG PDMA has said that under the instructions of the Chief Minister of Punjab, all the relevant institutions are on high alert and surveillance has been increased in the low-lying areas. All resources are being utilized to protect the lives and property of the citizens.
