KARACHI: After days of urban deluge, Sindh’s Indus River cutting through rural stretches is now bracing for an extremely high flood surge on September 4 and 5, the Meteorological Department warned on Thursday. The alarm has been raised for downstream districts as waters from the upstream rivers continue to swell.
Downstream, the Indus River at Guddu and Sukkur is projected to peak at very high flood between September 4 and 5. Officials said the alarming surge in the Sutlej was triggered by heavy water releases from Indian dams, pushing flows well past danger marks.
They warned that fresh spells of moderate to heavy rain are likely over the upper catchments of all major rivers from August 29 onward, raising the risk of further swelling. Sukkur, Guddu and Kotri barrages are already in low-level flood, and sharp inflows recorded at dawn showed a risk of a rapid rise in the coming days.
Sindh braces for floodwaters; protective steps initiated
While these levels are still categorized as low flood, officials cautioned that Guddu and Sukkur could reach extremely high flood stage by September 4 and 5, threatening vast rural populations along the river.
The Flood Forecasting Division in Lahore confirmed that multiple rivers are already in dangerously high stages. The Chenab at Khanki and Qadirabad is in Exceptionally High to High Flood, while the Sutlej at G.S. Wala is at Exceptionally High Flood.
The Ravi at Balloki is expected to reach the same stage within 24 hours. The Chenab at Trimmu is forecast to touch exceptionally high flood by the evening of August 29, while Panjnad is likely to hit very extremely high flood by September 2. With the Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Indus all moving toward dangerously high levels, officials described the coming week as critical for Pakistan’s flood defenses.
Although the immediate 24-hour forecast indicates mostly dry weather with isolated thunderstorms, meteorologists cautioned that the lull is short-lived. Fresh monsoon activity over the weekend could accelerate inflows into the Indus system.
In Sindh, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority directed all deputy commissioners and district disaster management committees to remain on round-the-clock alert.
The directive, signed by Assistant Director Operations Ajay Kumar Sewani, ordered urgent preparations for evacuation and mitigation. All departments and NGOs were told to marshal resources and coordinate to prevent loss of life and property.
At 6 a.m., Guddu Barrage registered an inflow of 333,400 cusecs against an outflow of 300,200. Forecasts placed flows between 320,000 and 340,000 in the next 24 hours. Sukkur Barrage, built to handle 900,000, showed inflows of 266,400 cusecs and outflows of 212,300.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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