2,038 villages submerged, over 481,000 evacuated amid intensified rescue, relief efforts: Marriyum

• Senior Punjab Minister says Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej floods displace 1.5m people across province
• Says govt mobilizes all agencies, deploys 808 boats and 68,477 rescued within 36 hours
• Says 511 relief camps shelter 6,373 citizens, 351 medical camps active in affceted areas

LAHORE: Floods have claimed 30 lives and inundated 2,038 villages across Punjab as waters from the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers displaced more than 1.5 million people, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday. She confirmed that over 481,000 individuals have been safely relocated in what she called the largest rescue and relief operation in Punjab’s history.

According to official figures, the River Chenab submerged 1,169 villages, the Ravi 462, and the Sutlej 391. Bahawalnagar, Kasur, Okara, Sialkot, Narowal, Hafizabad, Jhang, and Vehari are among the worst-affected districts, where large-scale evacuations are under way. Torrential flows have cut off dozens of settlements, while breaches in protective embankments have forced thousands of families to abandon their homes and belongings.

Aurangzeb said that 808 boats are currently deployed in rescue missions, which enabled the evacuation of 68,477 people within just 36 hours. In many places, rescuers carried children, women, and the elderly on their shoulders to safety, while others used large boats to transport families and their essential belongings.

She said 511 relief camps have been established in safe zones, housing 6,373 displaced citizens, while 351 medical camps are providing round-the-clock healthcare, medicines, and diagnostic services. Mobile health units and Clinics-on-Wheels have also been dispatched to remote areas. To protect livelihoods, over 405,000 livestock have been rescued and shifted to safer ground, with treatment facilities available at 321 veterinary camps.

The minister emphasized that Chief Minister Punjab is personally supervising the operation, while provincial ministers, assembly members, district administrations, Rescue 1122, police, civil defense, and volunteers are working as one team. “This is the most severe flood Punjab has faced in decades, but the government is using every available resource to save lives and provide relief,” she said.

In Bahawalnagar, rescue teams evacuated hundreds of families trapped in low-lying villages near the Sutlej, while in Kasur and Okara, residents were shifted to higher ground as floodwaters swept through agricultural lands. In Sialkot and Narowal, Chenab’s overflow forced people to leave their ancestral villages, while in Jhang and Hafizabad, protective dykes were reinforced to prevent further breaches.

Aurangzeb added that climate change has turned into a recurring disaster, necessitating advanced early warning systems to predict and mitigate future threats. She said that once the immediate crisis is over, the government will launch a province-wide anti-encroachment drive along riverbanks and devise a long-term integrated flood management strategy.

Paying tribute to frontline responders, she described them as “our heroes” who have risked their lives to rescue others. She assured citizens that rehabilitation, compensation, and restoration of infrastructure will remain the government’s foremost priorities.

“Every life matters,” the minister stressed, urging people in vulnerable districts to cooperate with authorities in evacuation efforts, as “timely action is the key to saving lives in this unfolding disaster.”