High alert sounded after authorities warn of very high floods along Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers At least 210,000 evacuated from flood hit areas, says NDMA Chairman A new spell of rainfall expected between Aug 29 and Sept 9.
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/ MULTAN – National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt-Gen Inam Haider Malik on Wednesday said that nearly 210,000 people were safely evacuated from flood-affected regions with no casualties reported so far.
While speaking to reporters in the federal capital, Lt Gen Malik said the large-scale rescue efforts were carried out in close coordination with the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Rescue 1122, Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs), and other agencies.
Evacuees have been relocated to relief camps where they are receiving medical care, food, and other essential services. These facilities will remain operational until families can safely return to their homes. Reportedly, tens of thousands of people were evacuated to safer areas after New Delhi alerted Islamabad about possible cross-border flooding.
NDMA Chairman acknowledged the logistical support provided by the Prime Minister’s Office, which has supplied 5,000 tents for relief operations. The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit vulnerable areas on Thursday, including Narowal, Sialkot, and flood-affected regions along the Sutlej River in Lahore.
The NDMA has issued early warnings for a new spell of rainfall expected between August 29 and September 9, particularly in the catchment zones of the flooded areas. Local administrations, NGOs, and other stakeholders have been alerted to take precautionary measures to minimize potential losses.
Lt Gen Malik further stated that water flow at Panjnad is expected to surge between 600,000 to 700,000 cusecs in the coming days. NDMA is actively sharing early warning information with the Sindh PDMA and other relevant authorities to ensure timely preparedness. Pressure levels at key downstream points such as Kotri and Guddu are also being monitored closely.
Evacuation from flood-affected areas along the Sutlej River will continue as water levels rise. The people were being moved to safer locations through coordinated efforts involving Rescue 1122, the Pakistan Army, Rangers, and the Punjab PDMA. Army formations are implementing evacuation measures in their respective zones under directives from the Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) with priority given to relocating vulnerable populations.
Additional rainfall is expected in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), prompting NDMA to urge citizens to stay informed through the NDMA Disaster Alert mobile application. Safety guidelines and area-specific precautions are available on the NDMA portal.
NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik reaffirmed that early warnings have been issued for the next 25 to 45 days, with a particular focus on northern Punjab, Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), where heavy rainfall may lead to further flooding.
‘Heavy flooding in Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej rivers’
The National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) has been placed on round-the-clock operation as Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej face severe flooding, with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) monitoring all rescue and relief efforts on the Prime Minister’s directive.
According to NDMA, an exceptionally high flood of 769,481 cusecs is passing through River Chenab at Marala with chances of further rise, while at Khanki, the river is carrying 705,225 cusecs with a decreasing flow; in River Ravi, a high flood of 202,200 cusecs is passing at Jassar, which may rise to 229,700 cusecs.
At Shahdara, River Ravi is flowing at 72,900 cusecs, posing flood risk to low-lying areas of Shahdara, Park View, and Motorway-II. In River Sutlej, an exceptionally high flood of 245,000 cusecs persists at Ganda Singh Wala, while 100,355 cusecs are recorded at Sulemanki. NDMA, in coordination with civil and military institutions, has urged residents along riverbanks and waterways to immediately move to safer places, strictly follow local administration’s instructions, contact rescue teams in emergencies, and avoid all unnecessary travel in flood-hit areas.
The Punjab government has deployed the Pakistan Army to assist with flood relief operations in eight districts, as rivers across the province continue to rise. According to the Punjab Home Department spokesperson, on the directives of Punjab Chief Minister, military assistance had been sought for Hafizabad, in addition to earlier deployments in Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Narowal, Okara and Sargodha. The spokesperson said the army had been called in to support district administrations in relief activities and to ensure the safety of human lives amid the ongoing flood situation.
High alert in Multan as Chenab, Sutlej face flood threat
Deputy Commissioner Wasim Hamid Sindhu on Wednesday said the district administration had issued a red alert to tackle possible floods in the Chenab and Sutlej rivers. Acting on the Punjab government direction, evacuation of citizens from riverine areas had been accelerated. He said flood relief camps had been set up at Head Muhammad Wala, Bund Bosan, Sher Shah, and Jalalpur Pirwala. The DC stated this during an emergency visit to flood-prone areas, where Assistant Commissioner Sadar Zahid Iqbal briefed him on relief operations. Sindhu said the Punjab government had warned of rising water levels in Rivers Chenab and Sutlej over the next two days. He added that citizens were being shifted to safer places, while flood embankments had been fully inspected and upgraded.
Sargodha under threat from Chenab river floods
The Chenab River was experiencing a severe flood situation with water levels reaching a record high of 850,000 cusecs at Head Marala and a steady increase in flow.
According to a spokesperson of the DC office here on Wednesday,the situation was critical with a potential flood wave of 700,000 cusecs expected to reach Kot Moman.
In this regard,Deputy Commissioner(DC) Captain (R) Muhammad Wasim conducted an emergency visit to Mudh Ranjha late night,reviewing preparations to tackle the potential flood.
Heavy downpours battered parts of northeast Punjab over the past 24 hours, with Sialkot recording extremely heavy rainfall of 202 millimeters in the city and 126 mm at the airport.
According to the Meteorological Department the storms left parts of Punjab waterlogged, while scattered showers were also reported in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir. Elsewhere, hot and humid weather persisted across much of the country.
Officials warned that humid and stormy conditions are set to continue into coming days. The forecast points to isolated rain, wind and thunderstorms in northeast Punjab, Kashmir, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Potohar region, including the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, where evening showers carry a 40% chance.
Sindh and most of Balochistan will remain hot and humid, though rain and thundershowers are likely in Barkhan, Zhob, Lasbela, Khuzdar and surrounding areas tonight. In Kashmir, partly cloudy skies with thunderstorms are expected, while Gilgit-Baltistan will see hot, partly cloudy weather.
The highest recorded temperature on Wednesday was 44°C in Nokkundi, followed by 43°C in Dalbandin and 42°C in Chilas. Islamabad’s maximum stood at 30°C, with Karachi at 33°C, Lahore at 32°C, and Peshawar at 36°C.
Authorities urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert for flash flooding, particularly in Punjab’s low-lying districts.
The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) has said that very high to exceptional high flood level will contin-ue in River Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala and downstream, River Ravi at Jassar and downstream while high to very high flood levels are likely to continue in the nullahs of RiverS Ravi and Chenab during within the next 24 hours.
According to daily Federal Flood Commission (FFC) report on Wednesday, River Chenab at Trimmu is expected to attain exceptionally high flood level on 29th August 2025 (evening). Similarly, River Che-nab at Panjnad (including discharges from Balloki & Islam) is expected to attain very high flood level on 2nd September 2025.
River Indus at Guddu and Sukkur is expected to attain very high flood on 4th to 5th September 2025.
Currently, River Indus is flowing in low flood in Chashma-Taunsa-Guddu-Sukkur-Kotri reaches while River Chenab run in very high flood with falling trend at Marala. exceptional high flood with rising trend at Khanki and Qadirabad.
Similarly, River Ravi is also in exceptional high flood with rising trend at Jassar while in medium flood with rising trend at Shahdara and Balloki.
Moreover, River Sutlej is also flowing in exceptional high flood with rising trend at Ganda Singh Wala and in medium flood at Suleimanki with steady condition.
Tarbela Dam is at its maximum conservation level (MCL) of 1550 feet while Mangla reservoir stands at 1221.90 feet which is 20.10 feet below its MCL of 1242 feet. The combined live storage of Tarbela, Chashma and Mangla reservoirs stands at 11.714 MAF, which is 88.04 % of the total available live stor-age capacity of 13.316 MAF.
The FFD Lahore has predicted scattered thunderstorm/rain with isolated heavy falls over upper catchments of Rivers Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab along with Lahore and Gujranwala Division during the next 24 hours. Isolated thunderstorm/rain may also occur over Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Gujrat Divi-sions during the same period.
