Rescue workers in boats raced to reach stranded families in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province on Thursday (Aug 28) after three major rivers burst their banks due to heavy rains and the release of water from overflowing dams in neighboring India.
Officials said nearly 250,000 people have been displaced and more than 1 million affected, as floodwaters destroyed homes, crops, and businesses, leaving many unable to escape their villages. At least 15 people were killed a day earlier in Gujranwala district and surrounding villages.
Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the floods struck 1,432 villages along the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers, affecting about 1.2 million people. She confirmed that 248,000 residents had been displaced and nearly 700 relief and 265 medical camps had been set up to provide shelter, food, and medical assistance.
Floods have killed more than 800 people across Pakistan since late June. Officials noted this is the first time in 38 years that all three rivers—the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab—have reached high flood levels simultaneously, forcing rescue operations to expand across multiple districts.
Despite government efforts, many families said they had to wait days for help. Zainab Bibi, 54, from Narowal district, said her family was stranded on their rooftop for two days before a rescue boat arrived. Farmer Mohammad Saleem, also from Narowal, said floods swept away his home and belongings, while his wife lamented the loss of their daughter’s wedding dowry.
In a statement, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif credited “timely evacuations” and the removal of illegal structures along waterways with preventing mass casualties. She urged officials to ensure no displaced person is left without food or medical care and warned of the risk of waterborne diseases.
Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal accused India of deliberately releasing excessive water from its dams without issuing timely warnings, calling it an act of “water aggression.” He claimed the move violated a key water-sharing treaty that New Delhi suspended earlier this year after an attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India has not yet responded to the allegation.
Meanwhile, floods submerged the shrine of Guru Nanak in Narowal near the Indian border, though rescuers evacuated staff and pilgrims safely.
In neighboring Indian-controlled Kashmir, some of the heaviest August rains in decades triggered flash floods and landslides, damaging roads, homes, and pilgrimage routes. At least 115 people have been killed and thousands evacuated in the region.
Pakistan, still reeling from the devastating 2022 floods that killed nearly 1,700 people, is once again facing one of its worst flood emergencies in decades—an unfolding disaster that officials and experts link to the intensifying impacts of climate change.
