Water level in Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab rivers rises to dangerous level Authorities plan breaching Chenab riverbank to save Multan city High alert in Multan, Jhang, Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar Gujrat underwater after 506 mm rainfall Floods death toll swells to 46 in Punjab n Monsoon rains likely to continue until mid-September: NDMA.
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/ GUJRAT – Heavy rains continued to lash parts of the flood-hit Punjab province on Thursday, causing fresh flooding of homes and highways as major rivers overflowed.
The flood death toll in the most populated Punjab province swelled to 46 on Thursday as unprecedented monsoon season caused destruction this year, killing 880 across the country. India has issued several warnings to Pakistan about opening dam gates, three in the last 24 hours, officials said. Irfan Ali Kathia, top official of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, told reporters on Thursday that three rivers in Pakistan have been affected by the release of more water from Indian dams.
In Punjab, 1.8 million people have been evacuated in recent weeks after floodwaters submerged nearly 3,900 villages. Authorities said on Thursday that to save the historic city of Multan from being flooded, they are considering breaching the Chenab riverbank. That will allow water to be released into the city’s outskirts so the river’s levels can come down.
Multan Commissioner Amir Karim Khan said the flood situation at Head Muhammad Wala in the city was under constant observation. He said the water gauge was recorded at 413.66 feet against the critical level of 417 feet. He explained that any decision regarding breaching would be taken by the Technical Committee on the basis of flow speed, intensity, and other flood-related factors.
Kathia also said that the Ravi and Chenab rivers in particular are expected to face significant backwater effects, which could exacerbate the situation and worsen flooding in the affected areas. In response to another query, he said that Gujarat has been the worst affected by this monsoon spell, with 9 monsoon spells reported so far. He also mentioned that four districts, including Multan and areas in the northwest, remain on high alert. He noted that around 17 lakh people shifted safer places and relief camps.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued a high alert for the Sutlej River, warning of dangerously rising water levels triggered by ongoing releases from India’s Pong and Bhakra dams. The National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) has also sounded a high-level warning, urging communities along the riverbanks to prepare for potential flooding. At Ganda Singh Wala, the Sutlej River has surged to an exceptionally high flood level, with recorded flows reaching 335,591 cusecs.
This sharp increase is directly linked to substantial water discharges from Pong Dam, currently at 98% capacity, and Bhakra Dam, which stands at approximately 96%.
Downstream areas are now facing heightened flood threats. Sulemanki is expected to experience a high flood situation, with an estimated outflow of 132,000 cusecs.
Islam Headworks is also at risk, with projected discharge levels nearing 95,700 cusecs, placing it in the medium to high flood category.
Authorities anticipate that the Sutlej River will maintain these elevated flood levels over the coming days. A prolonged high flood situation is likely at both Sulemanki and Islam Headworks, posing serious risks to several districts, including Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Burewala, Arifwala, and Bahawalnagar.
According to Punjab government officials, the water level in Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab has risen to dangerous levels, by inundating hundreds of villages and completely destroying crops on lakh of acres.
Flash floods and urban flooding in various areas have paralysed urban and rural life, while rescue agencies and district administrations are busy with relief operations.
According to official sources, the water level in the Ravi River has risen again at Shahdara, where there is currently high flood. According to the Flood Forecasting Division, a flood of 90,500 cusecs is passing through Shahdara. Similarly, the water level has also increased at Jasar and a flood of 82,140 cusecs is passing there. The water flow at Head Balloki has been recorded at 115,670 cusecs. Punjab Police has been put on high alert due to the increase in flood situation in the rivers of Punjab.
Hundreds of more villages have been submerged and crops standing on lakhs of acres have been completely destroyed. Severe urban flooding due to 506 mm of rain in Gujarat in 24 hours has paralysed urban and rural life.
In Kasur, 319,000 cusecs of water is flowing in the Sutlej River, due to which more than 100 villages including Nooriwala, Bhedian, Usmanwala have been submerged. The people of the area are forced to live under the open sky. 132 villages and 18,000 acres of land are submerged, causing agricultural losses running into crores of rupees.
Luddan, Kabirwala, Khanewal, Toba Tek Singh, Kot Momin, Chishtian, Shorkot, Multan, Lodhran and other districts have also been severely affected by floodwaters. Dams have broken at many places, educational institutions and government buildings have been destroyed. The floodwaters of the Chenab River are now entering Jhang, Shorkot, and southern areas of Punjab.
A document of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority reveals that 46 people have died in Punjab so far due to floods while 3.5 million people have been affected. About 4,000 settlements have been submerged and 1.5 million people have been rescued. The Chenab River is moving towards Jhang from Qadirabad, which will cause more problems.
He also said that a floodwater of 900,000 cusecs will enter Sindh on the night of September 6 and 7. A total of 1.326 million acres of agricultural land has been affected by the floods in Punjab. The highest damage has been caused in Faisalabad division, where 323,215 acres of crops have been destroyed. Crops standing on millions of acres have also been affected in Gujranwala, Gujrat, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal and Lahore divisions. The situation remains critical and the relevant agencies are continuously engaged in rescue and relief activities.
