LAHORE:
Pakistan’s flood crisis worsened on Wednesday when the authorities warned about “exceptionally high” water levels in the Chenab and Sutlej rivers, threatening large parts of southern Punjab. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) confirmed that the floods of the Monzón have gained at least 883 lives since the end of June.
In the last 24 hours, two more children died, one in Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmira, and another in Islamabad, pushing the number of deaths throughout the country to 883, with almost more than 1,200 injured, according to the report of the daily situation of the NDMA.
Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are still the most affected regions. Punjab has reported 223 deaths and 648 injuries, while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has registered 488 deaths and 360 injuries. Sindh has reported 58 deaths, Gilgit-Baltistan 41, Azad Kashmir 38, Baluchistan 26 and Islamabad Nine.
The NDMA, through its National Emergency Operation Center (NEOC), has issued a new advice, warning about the possible rain in several regions of Pakistan during the next 12 to 24 hours.
Rain alerts for Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltist and Azad Jammu & Kashmir have been issued, with flashing showers that are expected in several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including chitral, dir, swat, buner and abbottabad.
The authorities have warned against sudden floods in low areas, overwhelmed streams and landslides in mountainous terrain.
Floods have destroyed or damaged more than 9,200 houses, including 4,700 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2,100 in Kashmir Azad, and annihilated more than 6,000 head of cattle. Almost 240 bridges and more than 670 kilometers of roads have also been damaged throughout the country.
Flood wave Chenab
The authorities of the Fine Division reported that a dangerous flood wave in Chenab has flooded dozens of settlements and raised water levels up to four feet along the Akbar flood embankment. The houses near the embankment have already suffered damage, and the authorities said that explosives have been placed on the head of Muhammad Wala Road to create a controlled violation if necessary.
Drones surveillance equipment has been deployed to locate the stranded families and monitor abandoned houses during the night to deter looting. In Trimmu Headworks, the water discharge was recorded at almost 400,000 CUSECs, while in Panjnad, officials expect a “very high flood” for Thursday (today).
Separately, PDMA PUNJAB reported that the waters of the flood of Chenab have submerged 261 villages in Jhang and at least two dozen in Muzaffarhh. The authorities said that water levels in Sutlej and Ravi are also increasing dangerously due to the launches of the Indian reservoirs.
The Department of Meteorology of Pakistan (PMD) warned that exceptionally high flood levels will persist in the Sutlej in Ganda Singh Wala and that a new wave of floods in Chenab could reach “very high levels of exceptional” levels from Marala Down Handlings. In Panjnad, the confluence of Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej, the waters of the floods are expected to reach their maximum point between September 4 and 5, threatening thousands of acres of cultivation lands and hundreds of villages.
It is also projected that the Indo in GUDDU reaches the levels of “flood high to very high” before September 6 or 7. PMD warned that urban floods are possible in Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Islamabad due to heavy continuous rains in the upper basins.
The NDMA said that 1,297 aid camps are active throughout the country, protecting more than 40,000 people during the last 24 hours. Some 568 medical camps have treated more than 45,000 patients, many suffering from water transmitted diseases. Punjab has only established 655 camps for 11,000 displaced residents.
Rescue operations remain extensive. In the last 24 hours, 210 operations in Sindh evacuated more than 55,000 people, while Islamabad reported 14 bailouts. In total, more than 1.08 million people have been rescued since floods began at the end of June.
Federal agencies and humanitarian partners have distributed thousands of tents, food rations, blankets and mosquito nets, with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa receiving most of the assistance. The authorities have urged the provincial authorities to remain on a maximum alert as water levels continue to increase in the main rivers.
