Lahore:
A few weeks after the flood for the first time, the villages of Jalalpur Pirwala, Multan district, remain recorded by flood waters. Hundreds of houses have collapsed in rubble while thousands of acres of cultures are ruined. The fields of wheat and rice are rotten, the mud houses have erased and moved families, stripped of shelters, now survive in tents.
Local elder Muhammad Jameel recalled how his house and cereal shops were swallowed by waters: “All the food we saved after years of work has been ruined.” Another villager, Taj Din, his eyes overflowing with tears, said: “We rebuild our houses, but for the love of God, someone has to drain this water. He swept away the economies of our life, our dreams, everything.” Their stories echo the fate of thousands of people who remain exposed under the open sky.
New lives in the colonies of tents
In the middle of this devastation, New Hope appeared. In a colony of tents, the wife of Muhammad Asghar gave birth to a little girl, named Ayesha. Asghar, a daily employee with two women, explained that his other wife, who lives in Alipur, is also waiting for a child in the coming weeks. With the birth of Ayesha, his family has now reached thirteen children – four sons and nine daughters. “On the one hand, we are faced with difficulties because of the floods, but on the other, Allah blessed us with his mercy,” he said.
According to Dr. Zafar Cheema, who served in the camps, nine babies have been born so far, including one inside a tent where the mother and the child have survived in complete safety. “Currently, there are 18 pregnant women in three camps that are expected to deliver in the coming weeks,” he said. A woman doctor was deposited for regular checks and ultrasound facilities were organized. Pregnant women will be transferred to private or public hospitals for delivery if necessary.
However, for many women, the greatest difficulty remains sanitation. “We have basic supplies, but the shortage of toilets and even soap makes life unbearable,” said Razia Bibi, a camp resident. The organizers provide soap, she noted, but it is rarely available in the toilet.
A man living in a tree
The floods also revealed extraordinary resilience scenes. Hajji Rasool Bakhsh, a local resident, spent two weeks perched on a tree in his courtyard, balanced on wooden boards. He explained that while his family was evacuated, he chose to stay to keep his looters’ house – a common threat in river areas. “Each family has left at least one or two men behind to protect their property,” he said.
Help group service spirit
While the floods took out houses and cultures, they also aroused remarkable humanitarian efforts. The Muslim League of Pakistan Markazi (PMML) has created eight tents villages, housing more than 10,000 people. Residents receive three meals a day, solar panels, fans and mosquitoes.
According to PMML’s spokesperson Muhammad Tabish Qayyum, “our trip continues with relief rescue and rehabilitation rescue”. He said that more than 500 Lahore volunteers, Faisalabad and Karachi help families clean and restore their homes. Temporary children’s schools have been created and medical camps made up of doctors operating 24 hours a day.
The villagers are confronted with ruin and resilience while new lives begin in the tents Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reports that water levels in rivers are gradually retreating, although the extent of destruction remains large. Official figures show that 27 Punjab districts have been directly affected, with more than 4,700 flooded villages and nearly 4.7 million people have had an impact. More than 2.6 million were evacuated to security.
The authorities have created 271 rescue camps and 300 medical camps, while 283 veterinary camps have moved more than 2.1 million cattle on higher land. The floods made 134 lives, with many others injured. Rescue commissioner Nabeel Javed confirmed that damage assessments began on September 24 and promised compensation for victims through a transparent and simplified process.
Grievances and gaps
Despite these measures, many residents remain dissatisfied. Families complain that if food plots – often Biryani boxes – are distributed in government camps, there are few provisions for fans, mosquitoes or appropriate sanitation. Heat and humidity have triggered flambés of disease. The distribution of disorganized aid has also led to duplication, some families falling into both government and private camps to collect supplies several times, while other households in need remain excluded. Experts argue that a unified system is urgent to ensure fair and efficient relief delivery.
A radius of hope
Although the floods broke houses and livelihoods, they have not extinguished human resilience. The birth of Baby Ayesha in a tent, the tireless work of volunteers and the determination of affected villagers all indicate a future where life will slowly return. The real challenge is no longer only to empty flood waters but to rebuild broken lives. The real recovery, the stress of observers will only be possible if government, civil society and communities are held together.
