Ravi | Pakistan

LAHORE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has arrested the owner of Theme Park, an ‘illegal’ housing scheme raised in the river bed of Ravi. The scheme was completely inundated by the swollen river last week. “Khushi Muhammad built this illegal housing scheme in the Ravi land, made residential plots on 12,000 kanals inside the river bed and sold them to citizens by fraud. The suspect had not built the society as per law and even couldn’t establish any kind of sewage system in the fake housing scheme and since the entire area was inside the river, therefore, all the houses in the illegal housing scheme were submerged by the floodwater,” an ACE spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. He said the ACE had also sought record of all illegal housing schemes established in the Ravi bed from the River Urban Development Authority (Ruda) and the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) so that action could be taken against those housing schemes as per the law. ACE seeks record from Ruda, LDA: promises strict acti...

LAHORE: The area declared as “prone to floods” by the Punjab irrigation department is rife with violation of rules and regulations, absence of requisite infrastructure as well as weak enforcement led to the massive devastation in private housing schemes along a long stretch of River Ravi in Lahore. The rules defined for the approval of private housing schemes by various authorities are either not being implemented or enforced when it comes to the area prone to floods. In recent days, billions of rupees of residents have been lost in various housing schemes and katchi abadis after floodwater entered their houses and business premises. This area comes under the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project being executed along a 46km long stretch of Ravi by the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda). There is also a disparity in the approval mechanism between different authorities, especially Ruda. The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) follows the Private Housing Scheme Rules 2014 (updated), under which (rule-7) ...

LAHORE/ KASUR/ JHANG/ISLAMABAD - More floodwater from India entered the Chenab and Ravi rivers on Friday evening, prompting authorities to issue a fresh flood alert.

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

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday issued a high-flood alert for the Ravi River after India released additional water into the tributary. A devastating monsoon season marked by record rainfall, glacier melt, and widespread flooding has exposed Pakistan’s extreme vulnerability to climate change. The “high flood” warnings this week have put Punjab on high alert and prompted mass evacuations in various places. In a high flood alert posted at 5:40pm, the NDMA said: “Heavy rainfall expected in the upper regions of Ravi over the next 48 hours. The Indian dam Thein is 97 per cent full, and its spillways may be opened at any time. Due to potential discharge, a high-level flood is expected in the Ravi River. High-level flow is also expected in Pir Panjal, Bain, Basantar and Deek.” The NDMA cautioned citizens to stay away from rivers, drains and low-lying areas, along with avoiding unnecessary travel. It also issued instructions to agencies and emergency services to remain on high alert. A sta...

SAHIWAL / NAROWAL / OKARA / DERA GHAZI KHAN: Villages near the river banks of the Sutlej, Ravi and Indus are at risk of flooding due to the increasing water levels, whereas local administrations have started taking precautionary measures in adjoining areas. The Baein and Auj drains at the river Ravi have started overflowing, and hundreds of acres of land have been submerged. Land erosion is being reported near Chak Jamil, Fatehpur, Shahpur and Chanjhora villages due to the floodwater. Water level in Ravi has risen from 12,000 cusecs to 51,400 cusecs. Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 rescued 68 people trapped in the floodwater due to flooding in the rain drain flowing into the Shakargarh tehsil. Of these, eight citizens were trapped near village Dinpur and 60 were rescued near village Sikmal. The local administration has setup 15 flood relief camps on the banks of River and its rainwater drains. Narowal Deputy Commissioner Syed Hassan Raza said that the situation on the banks of Ravi and its rain drains was under contro...

Islamabad - Senior politician and former federal minister Muhammad Ali Durrani has said that following the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), India can no longer block the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas rivers.