Punjab is facing its worst flooding in nearly four decades as exceptionally high levels in the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers have inundated vast swathes of land, displacing more than two million people and submerging over 2,300 villages, according to official estimates.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Sunday issued a “significant flood warning” for Lahore, Gujranwala and Gujrat divisions, cautioning that widespread heavy rainfall and continuing releases from Indian reservoirs will keep river levels dangerously high through the first week of September.
Authorities confirmed that exceptionally high flood levels are persisting in the Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala, while the Chenab at Trimmu and Panjnad is expected to reach very high flood stage by September 3. Urban flooding has already been reported in several cities, including Lahore and Gujranwala.
Rescue operations are underway across Punjab, with the army, Rescue 1122 and local administrations evacuating hundreds of thousands from low-lying areas.
PDMA said more than 150,000 people and over half a million livestock have been moved to safer places, while over 1,100 relief camps have been established to provide food and shelter.
Despite the efforts, officials warned of worsening humanitarian conditions. Hospitals in southern Punjab are struggling with outbreaks of cholera, hepatitis and other waterborne diseases, while shortages of clean water, food and essential medicines are being reported from flood-hit districts.
The floods have so far claimed at least 30 lives in Punjab, while the nationwide death toll since late June has risen to nearly 850.
Agriculture has suffered massive losses, with crops across hundreds of thousands of acres destroyed, raising fears of food insecurity in the coming months.
Authorities in Sindh have also been placed on high alert, as floodwaters move downstream towards the province. Meteorological forecasts suggest that exceptionally high flows could persist into early September, prolonging the crisis.
Heavy rains may intensify flooding in Punjab
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rains over eastern river catchments from September 1 to 3, raising the risk of urban flooding and riverine overflow in parts of Punjab.
The Chenab catchment is expected to see widespread rainfall, extending from Jammu into Pakistan. Districts in Gujranwala division, including Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin and Gujranwala, are likely to be affected, along with Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh and Chiniot.
Rainfall accumulation could exceed 350mm in Gujranwala and adjoining districts, the Met Office said.
In the Ravi catchment, central Punjab is forecast to receive extremely heavy rain, with Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib among the districts at risk.
Rainfall in Lahore division may surpass 350mm during the three days, increasing the likelihood of severe urban flooding and river overflow. Okara and Pakpattan are also expected to be impacted.
The Sutlej catchment is likely to see moderate to heavy rainfall, with Okara, Pakpattan and Bahawalnagar in Okara division, and Vehari, Lodhran, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan in Bahawalpur division facing potential inflows from upstream rainfall in India’s eastern Punjab.
Authorities warned that the combination of heavy local rains and upstream inflows may significantly raise water levels in eastern rivers, posing risks to low-lying and river-adjacent areas across Punjab.