The recent floods have devastated crops, cultivation lands and houses in Punjab, sweeping the life savings of innumerable families and leaving them loaded with debts.
In a private housing society near Mohlanwal, Lahore, the houses once built with hope are now abandoned: broken doors, collapsed walls and belongings ruined by flood waters. For many residents, devastation extends beyond the loss of property to the crushing loans taken to build these houses.
Basharat Bibi recalled how only weeks before the house of his dreams had been completed.
“On August 10, the construction was finished. We were preparing for a prayer meeting when floods destroyed everything,” he said. Her husband, a Rickshaw driver, had been injured during the renewal work.
“We built this house with a loan from Akhuwat under the scheme ‘Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar’. The first installment was not even paid, and now we have anything more than debt.”
The story is the same for Nadeem Iqbal and his brothers, who invested their savings in their home.
“We spent the profits of our life in this house, but the flood eliminated all our dreams,” he said, pointing out the water that is still inside.
For Muhammad Jahangir, water has backed away but destruction remains. Broken furniture, mud doors and ruins fill your home.
“When the flood arrived, the police evacuated everyone and did not allow us to take anything,” he said. On the roof, his mother tried to dry his daughter’s downtown.
“We saved for years to buy this, but everything is ruined,” he lamented, and added that some articles were stolen during chaos.
Read: Punjab floods turn on the fears of Sindh Deluge
Jahangir said his solar investor was also taken. “They are not just us. Many residents are suffering not only for the destruction of flood but also for robberies.”
‘We ask the Prime Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, who listens to our plea. We have built houses for our children with loans and hard work, but everything has been destroyed. At least, our loans must be canceled so that we can start over. “
According to the Provincial Authority of Disaster Management (PDMA), more than 3,300 villages in Punjab have been affected by floods in the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers. It is estimated that 3.36 million people have been affected, while almost 1.3 million have been evacuated to safer areas.
For families affected by floods, this tragedy is not just about destroyed houses, but of destroyed dreams, ruined and future gifts buried under debris, while they expect the State to intervene and help them rebuild their lives.
Help efforts in flood affected areas
The Pakistan army, the Civil Administration and other departments continue rescue and relief operations in areas affected by the floods of southern Punjab.
The protective embankment in Ganda Singh Wala on the Sutlej river has broken, while a high -level flood has been reported in the Sulemanki chief.
Read more: Moderate to strong rains probably in Sindh since September 7
The protective embankment in Ganda Singh Wala on the Sutlej River has broken, while a high -level flood has been reported in the Sulemanki chief, intensifying the flood crisis in Punjab.
According to officials, twelve relief camps have been established in suburban areas near the river. In Sahiwal, 49 villages have been flooded, with 30 camps prepared to support displaced residents.
A high -level flood on the Sidhnai head in Tehsil Kabirwala is also underway, where relief operations are ongoing in Tulamba, Mian Channu and Iqbal Nagar. Thousands of people, cattle and wheat stocks have been transferred to safer places.
In Okara, free medical camps have been established for flood victims, while additional camps have been established in Rangpur and Chief Muhammad Wala. In Tehsil Muzafargarh and Kot Addu, caution measures are being jointly reviewed by the Army and Civil Administration of Pakistan.
Help work also continues in Kholra Point, Hasu Wali, Budhwana, Jhang and Chinint, where hundreds of people and animals have been transferred to safer areas. The Pakistan army has established multiple help camps, ensuring food, clothing and medication supplies, while free medical facilities are provided to those affected.
The crisis has worsened after the release of India of large volumes of water in the Sutlej, which caused high alerts in at least nine Punjab districts in the midst of fears that the new inputs can aggravate the situation of “extremely high flood.”
