Bahawalnagar and adjoining areas in Punjab are facing large-scale flooding as the Sutlej River has overflowed, submerging dozens of villages and displacing thousands of residents.
The government has set up relief camps in the flood-affected districts, but many people, including a large number of children, still await urgent assistance to be evacuated.
Pakistan is battling torrential monsoon rains that have unleashed flash floods, swelled rivers, and filled dams, with more than 800 deaths reported since late June. Amid the heavy rains, India released excess water this week from its dams, swelling river flows downstream in Punjab.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that Pakistan evacuated more than 210,000 villagers near the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers that flow from India.
Punjab, the country’s largest province by population, is witnessing one of the worst floods in its recent history, with rivers in full spate and vast stretches of agricultural land now under water.
In Bahawalnagar, a district with a population of nearly 3 million, floodwaters have inundated several settlements, forcing families to evacuate with the help of Rescue 1122 teams.
Boats carrying household belongings were seen navigating through floodwaters, while many residents attempted to move their possessions to dry land on their own.
Those displaced are either taking shelter in relief camps or seeking refuge with relatives.
Residents told Geo News that the government’s assistance remains limited, and many families are stranded without food, shelter, or medical help.
Fields, crops, and livestock have also been heavily affected, worsening the crisis, whereas the floodwaters have cut off key connecting roads, isolating multiple villages.
The full scale of damage to lives, property, and agriculture will become clearer as waters recede, but officials and residents alike describe the situation as one of the most devastating flood emergencies in the region in years.
Authorities warned that the flood surge, currently moving downstream from Bahawalnagar and Minchinabad, is expected to advance towards Head Islam — a headworks on the Sutlej River — and Panjnad — a river at the end of the district — in the coming days.
