Flood devastation continues to escalate across Punjab and Sindh, with major rivers breaching embankments and displacing millions.Rising waters from the Indus River at Guddu Barrage have now triggered a high-level flood warning, with downstream areas at imminent risk.The floodwaters are now surging south toward Sindh. The province, which faced catastrophic flooding in 2022, is once again under threat. The Indus River at Guddu Barrage is seeing flows rise to 537,000 cusecs—classified as a high-level flood.

By September 15, extremely high flood conditions are expected.Water levels are also increasing at Sukkur and Kotri Barrages, with Sukkur recording inflows of 460,000 cusecs and a low-level flood at Kotri. In Rajanpur and Chachran Sharif, water levels continue to rise, reaching 11.4 feet.The flood surge from Head Panjnad has reached Kot Mithan, intensifying the crisis in nearby katcha areas.Although the flow at Head Panjnad has decreased to 633,000 cusecs, it remains at an extremely high flood level.

In Ali Pur's katcha region of Malan Wali, residents have been forced to relocate due to encroaching waters.In Punjab, the River Chenab has already caused widespread destruction in Jalalpur Pirwala and has now moved towards Shujabad. A 250-foot breach in a protective embankment near Shujabad has allowed floodwaters to advance toward the city, submerging dozens of villages and forcing thousands to flee their homes.In the village of Dhowandho, a collapsed embankment has resulted in 138 settlements being submerged.

Crops in Basti Ga Garan have been completely destroyed, and mass displacement is ongoing.The situation remains dire in the suburbs of Alipur and Sitpur, where thousands of acres of farmland have been inundated. In Liaqatpur, 21 villages have been directly impacted by the floodwaters.In Lodhran, two protective dikes failed, leading to the inundation of populated areas. Rescue operations using drones were deployed to extract stranded residents.

Overall, the recent floods in Punjab have affected nearly 5,000 villages, with over 100 fatalities confirmed.More than 4.5 million people across the province have been impacted, with over 2.45 million evacuated to safer areas. In the Ravi River, water levels are slowly dropping at Head Sidhnai, but a moderate flood warning remains in place. The Sutlej River is also showing signs of decline, with water flow at Ganda Singh Wala dropping by 78,000 cusecs. However, low- to moderate-level flood alerts persist at Head Sulaimanki and Head Islam.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)