Pak floods submerge over 100 villages as Sutlej swells

BAHAWALNAGAR (Pakistan): A massive flood in the Sutlej River has wreaked havoc in Pakistan’s Bahawalnagar district, inundating hundreds of villages and displacing thousands of residents, as per ARY News.

According to details, Chishtian city is facing severe flooding as the Sutlej has swollen to dangerous levels. The strong river currents have triggered rapid erosion, while protective embankments at Motianwala Pattan and Moza Azeem have collapsed.

The breach of the embankments submerged more than 100 villages and destroyed hundreds of houses. Nearly 10,000 acres of standing crops have been washed away, while key connecting roads between settlements have been swept under water, cutting off access to many localities, as per ARY News.

Drones being used to identify stranded people in Bahawalnagar. pic.twitter.com/OrV5LwbIqk

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Thousands of residents have been displaced, appealing for urgent relief. A rescue operation led by the DSP is under way, and officials report that over 80 per cent of the affected population and livestock have been shifted to safer locations.

In Bahawalnagar, water levels continue to rise under Baba Farid Bridge and Bhookan Pattan Bridge. Floodwaters have breached embankments at Chaweka and Bahadurka, inundating several settlements, including Chak Chaweka and Chak Bahadurka, leaving large tracts of crops destroyed.

The Chaweka Sutlej Road has been washed away, severing ground links to surrounding areas, as evacuations continue, as per ARY News. Authorities confirmed that more than 1,50,000 cusecs of water is currently flowing in from Head Sulemanki, intensifying the flood situation.

On August 31, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab issued an ‘exceptionally high flood’ warning in the Chenab River for the next 36 hours, ARY News reported. PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia highlighted that a massive flood wave is likely to reach Head Marala within the next two days, raising water levels in the Chenab River to dangerously high levels.

The ‘exceptionally high flood’ warning is followed by heavy monsoon rainfall, and the water that has been released from Indian dams, including Thein and Salal, as per ARY News. (ANI)