Punjab on High Alert as Maryam Nawaz Orders Evacuations Ahead of Flood Threat

LAHORE; Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday directed authorities to begin evacuating people from low-lying and river-adjacent areas as fresh monsoon rains and potential floods threaten the province.

The province was already on high alert after thousands of residents were moved from the banks of the Sutlej River on Saturday. At Ganda Singh Wala, the river swelled to a dangerous “high flood” level, with water flow recorded at 129,866 cusecs.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, Maryam ordered officials to ensure “timely evacuation of stranded populations” and to mobilize “all available resources” to protect lives. She instructed that people and livestock in vulnerable areas be shifted to safe locations and directed arrangements for food, shelter, and medical treatment for evacuees. The statement also said snakebite vaccines were being dispatched to flood-hit areas.

Maryam further ordered continuous monitoring of the Sutlej and other rivers while tasking district administrations, Rescue 1122, and relevant departments in Kasur, Pakpattan, Taunsa Sharif, and adjoining districts to remain on “high alert and vigilant.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Climate Change warned of heavy rains in Lahore, Gujranwala, and Gujrat divisions over the next 48 hours, carrying a “high risk” of both riverine and urban flooding. Citizens were urged to stay alert, adopt safety precautions, and remain prepared.

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Office confirmed that India had issued flood warnings to Pakistan, though the alerts were routed through diplomatic channels instead of the Indus Waters Commission, as required under the Indus Waters Treaty.

Last week, local administrations in Punjab began relocating residents from inundated villages along the Sutlej and Indus rivers, both of which had reached low to medium flood levels.

PDMA and PMD Alerts
The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported a “high flood” in the Sutlej at 10am on Monday, urging district administrations to ensure robust disaster preparedness. Suggested measures included early warning dissemination, strengthening of embankments, deployment of heavy machinery at critical points, setting up relief camps, and stocking medical supplies.

Separately, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued fresh flood warnings for the Chenab and Ravi rivers. It said moderate rainfall had begun over the upper catchments of eastern rivers and was expected to intensify, potentially raising flows in the Chenab at Marala, Khanki, and Qadir Abad, as well as tributaries of both rivers, to high or very high flood levels within 48 hours.

The PMD added that flooding in the Ravi depended partly on releases from India’s Madhupur Barrage but warned that heavy rainfall downstream could still create medium to high flood conditions. It also noted that reservoirs on both the Sutlej and Ravi were already at “danger level.”

The advisory further cautioned that Lahore, Gujranwala, and Gujrat divisions could face urban flooding during the next two days due to intense rainfall.