Lahore:
The authorities were locked up Thursday in a fierce battle to save Lahore du Ravi on the rise, while flooding waters inflated at dangerous levels in Shahdara and Balloki Headworks, threatening the outskirts of the city and neighboring villages.
With more than a million displaced people and at least 22 people killed in the province, the situation has become one of the worst emergencies of the floods in recent years and has made a serious test for the administration and all its institutions.
While the authorities struggled in the wake of catastrophic floods, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned that continuous precipitation could worsen the flooding conditions along the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers in the next 48 hours.
“People must immediately contact the local authorities and rescue managers in an emergency,” said the NDMA, adding ongoing rescue operations and were closely monitored. “All institutions guarantee the preparation to face any crisis.”
In Lahore, 24 -hour surveillance of the vulnerable points of the RAGI continued while the flows touched 219,770 CUSECS in Shahdara, while Balloki recorded 117,490 CUSECs and amount – volumes which forced the administration to declare “critical vigilance”.
The extent of devastation elsewhere highlighted the challenge. According to Rescue officials 1122, 22 people have lost their lives in flood incidents in recent days.
The authorities indicated that 263 rescue camps had been created, with 365 rescue missions carried out to date. The helicopters and boats were mobilized for the most inaccessible areas.
The deaths were distributed over several districts. In Gujrat, three children drowned after the collapse of an embankment. In Siackot, five members of a single family perished when their house was swept away.
Other victims have been reported by Gujranwala, Hafizabad and Narowal while the swollen rivers and the draws pierced by the protective dykes. The officials warned that the number of deaths could climb while the rescue teams had access to the cut villages.
Among the rivers of Punjab, the Chenab wore the heaviest burden. In Qadirabad Headworks, the entries culminated in an extraordinary 996,000 Cusecases – well above the capacity of the barrage of 800,000 CUSECs.
To avoid the total collapse, the authorities deliberately violated protective Bunds near Mandi Bahauddin and Ali Pur Chatha, diverting flood waters in the agricultural tracks to relieve the pressure on the structure.
In Khanki, the entrances affected 859,000 brackets, flooding dozens of villages along the banks. Thousands of acres of permanent crops have been overwhelmed, leaving the farmers devastated a few weeks before harvest.
Residents described desperate escapes when they abandoned livestock and personal effects with water. Trimmu, downstream, recorded nearly 99,000 brackets and remained stable, although the officials said that any new push could overwhelm low embankments.
The Sutlej, inflated by continuous rains and heavy flows on the other side of the border, added to the misfortunes of the province. In Sulemanki Headworks, the flows went to 113,124 Cusecases, while in Islam Headworks, the river bore 54,756 CUSECs.
Temporary dikes in Kasur, Pakpattan and Bahawalnagar collapsed under pressure, flooding agricultural land and forcing hundreds of families to evacuate overnight, local villagers said.
They said they used tractors and makeshift rafts to move the elderly, children and livestock to higher land. Many have complained of inadequate relief, saying that the speed of rise in power had left them a little more than the clothes they wore.
In Multan, officials warned that flood waters approached the city while massive entries move downstream. To divert the pressure from Chenab, offenses were made in protective dikes near Muhammadwala’s head, with officials confirming that 60% of residents of the threatened areas were evacuated.
In Narang Mandi, dozens of villages have been cut, while Sharaqpur Sharif de Sheikhupura, River Water has reached the levels that have not been seen since 1988. In Wazirabad, Nulllah Palkhu has overflowed with villages and low districts.
SIALKOT International Airport has been temporarily closed after flooding waters reached its premises. Pakistan International Airlines announced that flights were redirected to Lahore.
The residents of Arifwala Tehsil said that flood waters had entered houses after the Ravi and Sutlej converged, pushing nearly 100,000 brackets. The officials said that more than 600,000 people had been affected through Punjab, with hundreds of villages underwater.
The delight remained at the center of an urgent concern. In Jassar, he transported 99,470 cuses, while the flows to the delight siphon affected 220,627 cuses. Downstream in Shahdara, he reached 219,770 Cuses and continued northern stable edges, threatening from Lahore.
The authorities said that the embankments had been reinforced with the stone pitching, while the machines were positioned to connect the breaches if they occur.
Managers also said that Sidhnai Headworks, further south, had recorded 25,743 Cuses and Rising. Although less serious than the upstream levels, the rise has laid risks for the districts already weakened by the previous rains.
Narowal had to face serious devastation while agricultural land and colonies were overwhelmed by Torrents from the Ravi and associated draws. The Shakargarh-Narowal route was made impassable, cutting access to several Tehsils.
The flood waters have reached railways near Qila Ahmadabad, suspending train services on the Narowal-Sialkot road. Local accounts have described panic scenes and villages have been in a hurry, many residents wading deep through water transporting food buffalls or safety buffaloes.
The officials warned that the danger was far from over. The meteorological service provides for heavy rains and thunderstorms across the country, including the center of Punjab in the center and to the north in the next 48 hours.
The NDMA has published an alert after forecasts by the Department of Generalized Rain and Thunderstorms across the country from August 29 to September 2, warning possible floods and landslides in several regions.
According to the NDMA, the districts of the north and northeast of Punjab, notably Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Siackot, Gujrat, Narowal, Hafizabad and Mandi Bahauddin, are likely to attend the heavy and August 31, raising floods.
The central and southern Punjab should also receive showers from August 29 to 31, with low areas at risk of flooding. Districts including Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Layyah, Bhakkar, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan can undergo flooding conditions.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, heavy rains are expected from August 29 to 31. The divisions of Malakand and Hazara are particularly vulnerable to landslides, with districts such as Chitral, Dir, Swat, Biner, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Kohat and Bannu on alert.
Azad Jammu and Cashmire (AJK), including Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Haveli, Kotli, Mirpur and Bhimber, can face intense rains between August 29 and September 2, with a potential threat.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, heavy rains are scheduled from August 29 to 31, with the authorities warning landslides and the risk of flood lake (GLOF) in districts such as Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza, Diamer, Astore, Ghizer and Ghanche.
The coastal districts of the Sindh, notably Karachi, Thsta, Sujawal, Badin and Tharparkar, should receive strong precipitation between August 30 and September 2. The NDMA warned that Karachi faced the risk of urban flood due to potential showers.
Other Sindh districts, including Hyderabad, Dadu, Sukkur, Ghotki, Larkana, Jacobabad and Kashmore, could also attend torrential rains between August 30 and September 1.
In Balutchistan, coastal and oriental districts such as Gwadar, Kech, Panjgur, Khuzdar, Lasbela and Kalat are likely to be affected by the rains from August 29 to September 1, with the possibility of flooding in low areas.
The rescue teams were placed on alert in the districts of Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Siackot and southern Punjab. The authorities immediately urged residents of the low zones to the evacuation of evacuation orders. “Lives are more important than property,” said an official, attractive for villagers who are reluctant to abandon livestock.
Despite in -depth mobilization, the magnitude of the floods stretched resources. With 263 already functional camps, district administrations are struggling to provide shelter, food and adequate medical assistance to displaced families.
Just in Narowal, hundreds of people looked for refuge in schools and mosques converted into temporary shelters. In Siackot, residents complained of drinking water shortages and medicines.
Helicopter outings dropped food packets in areas inaccessible by road. The boats transported expanses flooded in Hafizabad and Gujranwala, while makeshift rafts were seen on village tracks.
Rescue commissioner Nabeel Javed admitted that the challenge was “monumental”, but said that the coordinated efforts of the civil administration, rescue 1122, and that the army maintained victims lower than fearing.
Long to come
Even if the water levels fell marginally in Marala, Khanki and Qadirabad Headworks on Thursday evening, the experts warned that the stay could be temporary. With the always active monsoon and that the entrances to the other side of the border continue, the rivers could go up.
The farmers of the affected areas have said that rehabilitation would take months, even years, destroyed houses, lost livestock and fields buried under silt. Managers claim that the extent of damage is only known after the water fell.
For Lahore, the battle of Shahdara and Balloki remained decisive. The authorities insisted that the embankment, but emergency plans were in place if the delight pushed further in the city.
The officials said that the floods in the Chenab, Sutlej and Ravi rivers have devastated nearly 1,400 villages, moving more than 1.2 million people. The next 48 hours, they added, would be crucial to determine if the largest city in Punjab escapes the disaster.
(With the contribution of agencies)
