- PDMA says Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers caused devastation in Over 4,700 villages
- Says unprecedented deluge claimed 134 lives, destroying crops, public and private infrastructure
- Indus in high flood at Mehrr and submerged 50 villages, 70% of Manjhand taluka
DADU/MULTAN/LAHORE: Indus River inundated more than 50 villages in Dadu on Tuesday as it remained in high flood at Mehrr and medium flood at Kotri Barrage, while unprecedented flooding in the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers caused devastation across 27 Punjab districts, affecting over 4.7 million people, according to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed confirmed that the three rivers alone had battered more than 4,700 villages, destroying crops, homes, and infrastructure. He warned that the constantly rising water levels were exerting dangerous pressure on barrages.
At Kotri Barrage, inflows surged to 376,118 cusecs against an outflow of 350,163 cusecs, while 70 percent of Manjhand taluka in Jamshoro district was reported submerged. Standing crops across hundreds of acres were destroyed, and floodwaters entered a historic Hindu temple and the local railway station.
Meanwhile, the peak flood stream has already passed Guddu and Sukkur barrages, where water levels are now receding. The inflow at Guddu stood at 253,200 cusecs with 223,805 cusecs outflow, while Sukkur recorded 254,560 cusecs inflow and 199,440 cusecs outflow. At Panjnad headworks, the flow remained at 111,000 cusecs.
Several villages in Sujawal’s katcha belt were also inundated, forcing residents to seek shelter elsewhere. Displaced families appealed to the Sindh government for food and relief supplies.
In Punjab, a 10-foot breach in the Jinpur Shams canal at Taranda Muhammad Panah submerged crops over hundreds of acres, leaving suburban areas under water for over two weeks. Locals criticised the administration for failing to plug the breach and demanded a flyover on the submerged road connecting nearby towns.
Similar devastation was reported in Liaquatpur, Alipur, Arifwala, and Qabula, where villagers complained of inadequate government relief and appealed for housing assistance.
According to PDMA’s updated report, 134 people have lost their lives and 13 sustained injuries in flood-related incidents. Around 2.638 million people have been shifted to safe locations, while 2.117 million livestock were relocated. The authority has set up 271 relief camps, 300 medical camps, and 283 veterinary camps across affected districts.
PDMA also confirmed that the floods damaged 2,040 schools, one university, seven colleges, several THQ hospitals, and 79 health centres.
To ensure transparent rehabilitation, the PDMA has announced special ATM cards for flood-hit families. A province-wide digital damage assessment survey will run until September 29, covering 3,775 villages through 2,213 teams. Compensation will be offered under a tiered package: Rs1 million for fully destroyed brick houses, Rs500,000 for mud houses, Rs300,000 for partially damaged brick houses, and Rs150,000 for partially damaged mud houses.
On Tuesday, PDMA monitoring teams confirmed normal river levels at most points across Punjab except at Panjnad, where the inflow of 234,000 cusecs maintained a medium-level flood.
