Punjab | Pakistan

• Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej overflow simultaneously for the first time • Over 429,000 residents evacuated, 20 lives lost across three rivers • Ninth spell of monsoon rains begins • 855,000 cusecs expected at Head Trimmu within 24 hours • Bunds breached to protect Jhang city, explosives deployed on embankments to save Multan • Worst Sutlej flooding since 1955 compounded by Indian dam breach LAHORE: In an unprecedented flood crisis, the Punjab government has initiated controlled breaches of key flood bunds to divert surging waters from the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers, as all three major rivers overflowed simultaneously for the first time in the country’s history. With 855,000 cusecs expected to reach Head Trimmu within 24 hours, authorities have evacuated over 429,000 residents, deploying explosives and breaching embankments to protect urban centres from catastrophic flooding. Torrential monsoon rains ravaged both Pakistan and India this week, with further heavy downpours forecast for this weekend. Bunds near Ath...

Pakistan Army troops are actively carrying out rescue and relief operations in flood-affected areas of Punjab, relocating victims to safer locations through helicopters and boats.

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has announced the temporary closure of several service centers across Punjab due to heavy rains and flooding that have severely disrupted daily life in the province.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday that timely measures helped prevent large-scale destruction from floods, adding that Allah Almighty saved Punjab from massive losses.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday visited the flood-affected areas of Punjab, where he conducted an aerial survey of the devastated regions alongside Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Widespread flooding has wreaked havoc across Punjab after India released excess water from the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers due to heavy monsoon rains.

• Over 600,000 affected as floodwaters sweep central parts of province • 15 die in Gujranwala divison • More than 150,000 people, 35,000 heads of livestock shifted to safety • Hundreds of villages affected across Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej belts • Kartarpur Sahib complex submerged, 150 pilgrims rescued • 263 relief, 161 medical camps set up • Officials fear river surge may hit S. Punjab next LAHORE: Large swa­thes of Punjab are submerged as catastrophic flooding in the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers forced hundreds of thousands from their homes, causing significant damage to infrastructure and devastates millions of acres of agricultural land. The three trans-boundary rivers have swollen to exceptionally high levels due to a combination of heavy rains and the excess water India is releasing from dams, which then flows across the border. The crisis, which affects central districts, now threatens south Punjab as the combined thrust of four rivers is set to converge on Thursday. The flooding has prompted the govern...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed federal ministers to immediately visit flood-affected districts of Punjab and personally supervise evacuation and relief operations amid the threat of very high-level flooding in the Chenab, Sutlej, and Ravi rivers.

The Pakistan Army has been called in to assist the civil administration in Punjab after India released water into the River Ravi, triggering a sharp rise in water levels and creating a potential flood situation.

LAHORE: Residents and shop­keepers in upscale localities across Punjab will start receiving ‘cleanliness’ utility bills from Sept 1, and these neighbourhoods will subseq­ue­ntly be declared ‘zero-waste’ are­as with penalties for littering. Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) Chief Exec­utive Officer Babir Sahib Din told Dawn that all residential and commercial property owners in Lahore’s upscale localities, including Gulberg, Johar Town, Muslim Town, New Mus­lim Town, Shadman, Faisal Town, Garden Town, Upper Mall Scheme, and the localities facing the Canal Road, Mall Road, and Jail Road will receive their bills next month. Private housing schemes are exempt, however, because they have their own disposal system. “This was in the works for long and finally the government decided to impose a clea­n­liness fee in a bid to ensure excellent cleanliness in all area­s, starting from the posh ones in the first phase,” he revealed. Penalty The proposal to introduce a cleanliness fee regime had been approved by the P...

ISLAMABAD, LAHORE - Over 150,000 people from flood-affected districts of Punjab have so far been relocated to safer places as the province braces for heavy rains and floods, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday.

Director General Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, Irfan Ali Kathia, has said that the water level in major rivers of the province is continuously rising.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday warned of heavy rainfall across several districts of Punjab and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) over the next 12 to 24 hours, urging residents and local authorities to remain vigilant.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the National Disaster Management Authority to expedite the rescue operation in the districts of Punjab province affected by the flooding in the Sutlej River The prime minister instructed the NDMA chairman to take immediate steps for the evacuation of people stranded in flood-affected areas and to.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday issued orders to evacuate the people living in areas around rivers and low-lying ones ahead of heavy rains and flood predictions across the province. Punjab is on high alert for floods before the arrival of a fresh monsoon spell as the provincial government on Saturday evacuated thousands of people along the Sutlej River, as the river surged to a high flood level at Ganda Singh Wala, recording a dangerous flow of 129,866 cusecs. A statement by the chief minister’s office said that CM Maryam issued orders “to ensure timely evacuation of the stranded population in view of [the] arrival of flood torrents”. She ordered access to “all possible available resources” to prevent loss of life, relocation of population from around rivers and low-lying areas to safe places, and prompt measures for the timely relocation of livestock to safe places, it added. The chief minister directed authorities to “vigilantly monitor the flood situation of Sutlej River and other rivers”, mak...

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab has issued a warning of medium to high flood in major rivers of the province as strong monsoon activity continues to grip the region.

In a bid to improve public convenience, Director General of Passports Mustafa Jamal Qazi has announced a new administrative structure for passport services across Punjab.

The World Bank on Monday approved a $47.9 million grant to improve primary education in Punjab, saying the project will expand early childhood schooling, re-enrol out-of-school children and strengthen teacher support. The move came over a month after the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the World Bank teams conducted the 12th and final mission to review and evaluate progress against the targets set under the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project. “The World Bank has approved a US$47.9 million grant, funded by the Global Partnership for Education Fund, to help improve girls’ and boys’ participation at pre-primary and primary levels in Pakistan’s Punjab province,” the organisation said in a press release dated August 23, shared on social media today. According to the press release, the GRADES-Balochistan project will also improve the responsiveness of the education sector to climate change and emergencies. Among the four million children that the project aims to benefit are 80,000 out-of-...

Several cities in Punjab received heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms on Sunday, bringing cooler temperatures and pleasant weather conditions for residents.

• High alert in multiple districts as Sutlej flows in high flood, Chenab and Ravi rivers stable • GB survivors face shortage of essentials; over 3,000 displaced in Ghizer; Glof-II project probe demanded LAHORE: A day before the arrival of a fresh monsoon spell, the Punjab government on Saturday evacuated thousands of people along the Sutlej River, as the river surged to a high flood level at Ganda Singh Wala, recording a dangerous flow of 129,866 cusecs. The Provincial Disaster Manag­ement Authority (PDMA) initiated evacuations and emergency operations across multiple districts amid a new and intense monsoon spell forecast on August 24-27. According to a hydrological report by the Board of Revenue, the situation at Ganda Singh Wala was critical and expected to persist for the next 48 hours. In response, district administrations in central and southern Punjab were racing against time to relocate communities living along the riverbanks. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmad said that over 19,000 people were eva...