Lahore [Pakistan]: The Pakistani government continues large-scale evacuation efforts across central and southern Punjab as floodwaters remain exceptionally high between the Panjnad confluence of the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers and the Guddu Barrage in Sindh.
The floods have triggered a severe humanitarian crisis, submerging low-lying areas, displacing thousands of people, and destroying hundreds of acres of standing crops, according to Dawn News.
Residents in affected areas are also experiencing widespread electricity and mobile service outages, leaving many cut off from authorities and loved ones while trapped by rising waters.
Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabil Javaid told Dawn that 97 people had died amid what he described as the “biggest flood in history” in the province. He added that 2.45 million people across 4,500 villages along the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers were affected, and 1.9 million livestock had been relocated to safer areas.
On Friday, authorities carried out 19 controlled breaches to reduce flood risks to Jalapur and Alipur, while repair work continued on a damaged dyke in Shujabad, Dawn reported.
Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb visited several flood-hit locations on Friday, including the breach site, instructing officials to seal it promptly. She also toured Alipur to oversee relief operations and officially declared Alipur tehsil a calamity-hit area.
Malik Riaz, a resident of Seetpur, told Dawn that he had been without food and water for two days and that drone deliveries had provided crucial assistance. He noted that hand pumps were producing unsafe, contaminated water.
In Sindh, parts of Dadu were submerged after the Indus River overflowed near the Dadu-Moro Bridge, affecting more than 30 villages in riverine areas. Rising waters have displaced residents and raised the risk of waterborne and other infectious diseases.
Medical camps have been set up along protective embankments, while mobile ambulances and boats are being deployed to assist stranded residents.
