LAHORE/ KASUR/ JHANG/ISLAMABAD – More floodwater from India entered the Chenab and Ravi rivers on Friday evening, prompting authorities to issue a fresh flood alert. The development is expected to cause a high-level flood at Head Trimmu barrage.
Severe flooding in the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej has already devastated several districts including Lahore, Kasur, Jhang, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala, and Bahawalnagar. Suburban areas of Lahore have also been submerged by the Ravi’s floodwater, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of houses and damaging millions of acres of farmland.
In the Punjab capital, the river Ravi created a dangerous situation as multiple settlements along its banks remain under water. Despite a slight decline, high-level flooding persists at Shahdara where the flow stands at 211,330 cusecs.
In Lahore, floodwater has entered Badami Bagh, Shafiqabad, Amin Park, Afghan Colony, Manzoor Garden, Barkat Colony, Mohlanwal, Aziz Colony, and Chohang. A private housing society in Chohang has also been inundated, with residents directed to relocate to safer areas.
According to official sources, more than 1,692 villages were inundated across the province, displacing around 460,000 people. Crops and infrastructure have been badly damaged, while hundreds of bridges and roads remain cut off.
In addition to the hardest-hit districts, Narowal, Kasur, Jhang, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, and Bahawalnagar are also facing severe flood impacts. Authorities have further reported a critical situation at Head Panjnad expected on September 2.
The Punjab government issued flood alerts across the province, placing all district administrations and rescue agencies on high alert. PDMA teams and military troops are engaged in relief efforts, providing food, drinking water, and medical assistance to the affected population. The Punjab PDMA has said in a statement that it will need to breach an embankment on the Sutlej River in order to protect Kasur from severe flooding.
“Increased water flow from India means that water in the Sutlej is rushing towards Kasur,” PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia was quoted as saying. “We are forced to breach the Rahimyar embankment in order to save Kasur.”
The statement added that Rescue 1122, the PDMA and the Punjab government are carrying out the operation.
The Jhang Chund Railway Embankment was successfully breached using explosives to divert flood torrent and protect over 25 to 30 nearby cities and villages. According to NDMA, the breaking operation of three sections of the embankment was conducted by Pak Army teams in three phases this afternoon, after consultation with civil administration.
The operation helped divert 100,000 to 150,000 cusecs of water out of the 496,000 cusecs of water passing through the Jhang Bridge and saved major cities, agricultural land and infrastructure from possible destruction.
Also, the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) has said that exceptionally high flood will continue in river Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala and downstream while River Ravi at Shahdara will gradually decrease from exceptionally high flood to high flood during the next 24 hours.
According to daily FFC report on Friday, River Chenab at Trimmu is expected to attain exceptionally high flood during the said period.
Similarly, River Chenab at Panjnad is expected to attain very high flood to exceptionally high flood on 2nd September 2025 while River Indus at Guddu and Sukkur is expected to attain very high flood on 4th and 5th September 2025 respectively. Flash flooding is also expected in the tributaries of river Kabul catchment during the said period.
River Indus is also running in medium flood with rising trend at Guddu while in low flood at Sukkur-Kotri reach.
River Chenab is running in low flood with falling trend at Marala and in medium flood with falling trend at Khanki. River Ravi is also running in medium flood with falling trend at Jassar and exceptionally high flood with falling trend at Shahdara.
Moreover, River Sutlej is flowing in exceptionally high Flood with steady condition at Ganda Singh Wala and in medium flood with steady condition at Suleimanki.
Tarbela Dam is at its Maximum Conservation Level (MCL) of 1550 feet since August 27, 2025. Mangla Reservoir stands at 1223.20 feet which is 18.80 feet below its MCL of 1242 feet. The combined live storage of Tarbela, Chashma and Mangla reservoirs stands at 11.800 MAF, which is 88.62 % of the total available live storage capacity of 13.316 MAF.
16 people killed in Sialkot flood
Flood and Emergencies Departments and Rescue 1122 on Friday confirmed that 16 people killed during the flood in different parts of district.
According to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson,during emergency services,16 people were killed including two women and an infant.
Warnings of heavy rainfalls, urban flooding
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast widespread rain-wind/thundershowers for Saturday across various parts of the country, warning of flash floods, urban flooding and landslides in vulnerable regions.
Rain accompanied by isolated heavyfalls is expected in Punjab, Kashmir, Potohar region, Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Northeastern Balochistan, Southeastern Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan are also likely to receive showers during evening and night hours.
The department cautioned that heavy rains during tonight and tomorrow (August 30) may trigger flash floods in local streams and nullahs of Dir, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Nowshera, Swabi, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Northeast Punjab, Kashmir and the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan.
Urban flooding is feared in low-lying areas of Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Narowal, Peshawar, Nowshera and Mardan, while landslides and mudslides may cause road closures in the hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galliyat and Kashmir.
Cloudy weather with rain-wind/thundershowers is expected in Islamabad and its surroundings with chances of isolated heavyfalls. In Punjab, rain-wind/thundershowers with scattered heavyfalls are forecast in Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Gujarat, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Murree, Galliyat, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, Khushab, Noorpur Thal, Sargodha, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Jhang, Chinot, Sahiwal, Bhakkar, Mianwali, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Pakpattan, Bahawalpur, Layyah, Multan, Khanewal and Dera Ghazi Khan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is likely to experience partly cloudy weather with rain-wind/thundershowers in Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Buner, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, Bajaur, Orakzai, Tank, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Waziristan and Dera Ismail Khan, with heavy falls likely at isolated places in the upper districts.
Sindh will mostly remain hot and humid, though partly cloudy conditions are expected in coastal areas and rain-wind/thunderstorms may occur at isolated places in Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Tharparkar, Umarkot and surrounding areas during evening and night hours. In Balochistan, hot and humid conditions will prevail in most districts, while Zhob, Musakhel, Barkhan, Khuzdar and Lasbela may receive rain and thundershowers at night.
In Kashmir, intermittent rain-wind/thundershowers are expected with chances of heavyfalls, while Gilgit-Baltistan will see partly cloudy weather with rain at isolated places.
During the past 24 hours, hot and humid weather prevailed over most parts of the country, though isolated rain and thundershowers occurred in Punjab, Kashmir, Murree, Galliyat and Cherat.
The heaviest rainfall was recorded at Lahore Airport with 23 mm, followed by Faisalabad 14 mm, Sialkot Airport 13 mm, Okara 10 mm, Sheikhupura 5 mm, Murree and Sahiwal 3 mm each, Hafizabad and Bahawalnagar 2 mm, Cherat 4 mm and Rawalakot 2 mm.
The highest maximum temperature was recorded at 43 C in Chilas, Turbat and Dalbandin, followed by 42 C in Nokundi.
