• Floodwaters pass through breaches at Noraja Bhutta, rising around motorway
• NHA says four of six lanes damaged but denies complete washout
• NDMA reports 1,006 deaths; over 3m rescued in flood-hit areas
• Millions displaced, infrastructure in ruins
LAHORE: The Sutlej River continued to maintain a medium-level flood at Ganda Singh Wala and Sulemanki headworks on Sunday, with authorities monitoring its steady rise as waters inundated areas across Lodhran, Multan and Bahawalpur districts.
According to a Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) report, the river flowed at 95,000 cusecs at Ganda Singh Wala and 82,000 cusecs at Sulemanki, with the latter volume expected to reach Jalalpur Pirwala within the next day or two, potentially raising water levels further in already affected regions.
Meanwhile, flood levels in the Chenab and Ravi rivers were reported as normal, with key readings showing 43,000 cusecs at Marala, 38,000 cusecs at Khanki Headworks, and 37,000 cusecs at Qadirabad on the Chenab, while the Ravi recorded flows of 7,000 cusecs at Jassar, 9,000 cusecs at Shahdara, and 28,000 cusecs at Head Sidhnai.
The Sutlej River water has been continuously rising since Sunday morning and inundating the flood-affected areas in Lodhran, Multan and Bahawalpur.
The water is passing from three to four breaches on the Noraja Bhutta embankment and rising around the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M5) from Jhangra in the Bahawalpur district to Jalalpur Pirwala tehsil in the Multan district.
As the water level started receding in the Chenab River, the people from the western side of Jalalpur Pirwala had started returning to their villages.
In Alipur tehsil of Muzaffargarh district, the government was making efforts to fill the breaches on dykes and roads damaged by floods. A temporary bridge was constructed at Seetpur Road and opened for the public in Alipur. Repair work was also started to fill dykes in Kul Kanwal, Khairpur Saadat, basti Azeem Shah and Sultanpur-Khairpur Road.
The M5 motorway remained closed for a ninth consecutive day due to flood damage at six locations, with motorway police implementing diversions at Shah Shams and Uch Sharif interchanges.
Motorway police spokesperson confirmed that the M5 in Multan would remain closed for now due to flood-related damage.
He said that floodwaters have affected the motorway at six different locations and authorities were actively working to prevent further damage by filling cracks with stones.
National Highways and Motorway Police said traffic from Multan to Sukkur was being diverted from Shah Shams Interchange to G.T. Road, with re-entry at Uch Sharif, while vehicles from Sukkur to Multan were diverted from Uch Sharif to G.T. Road and allowed to rejoin at Sher Shah Interchange.
NHA General Manager Kashif Nawaz told Dawn that four of six lanes had been damaged at some points but denied reports of a complete washout. “Some interchanges are still underwater and traffic cannot be allowed until safety is ensured,” he added.
Multan Commissioner Amir Karim Khan inspected the old flood embankments of Jalalpur Pirwala and the affected motorway section, declaring the old embankments safe. At Noraja Bhutta, he identified four breaches and directed the Irrigation Department to expedite repairs to prevent ponding along the motorway.
The commissioner also visited relief camps, met affected families and instructed departments to improve facilities. He confirmed that floods had disrupted repair work on a damaged Sui gas pipeline.
The Multan district administration said emergency repairs of flood-hit roads and electricity infrastructure had begun.
Deputy Commissioner Waseem Hamid Sindhu said heavy machinery and special teams had been deployed to assess damages, restore link roads and drain water. A door-to-door survey would soon begin in affected areas, while medical teams were conducting disinfection and health interventions.
Punjab Irrigation Minister Kazim Hussain Pirzada said the government was taking all measures to protect Jalalpur Pirwala, with technical committees monitoring embankments.
Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo visited relief camps to review arrangements for livestock feed and urged owners to move cattle to dry areas, provide clean water and seek veterinary care.
Over 3m rescued
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Sunday that more than 3.02 million people have been rescued in nearly 5,800 operations since June 26.
According to the latest figures, 3,020,130 individuals have been evacuated in 5,768 rescue operations carried out with the coordinated efforts of the NDMA, provincial authorities, the Pakistan Army and other agencies.
Punjab accounted for the largest share with 2.81m rescues in 4,749 operations, followed by Sindh with 184,011 in 753 operations. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 14,317 rescues, Gilgit-Baltistan 1,027, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 940, Islamabad 49, and Balochistan 19.
The NDMA said that at least 1,006 people lost their lives due to torrential rains and flash flooding, including 275 children, 568 men and 163 women.
KP recorded the highest number of fatalities with 504 deaths, while Punjab reported 304, Sindh 80, Balochistan 30, Gilgit-Baltistan 41, AJK 38 and Islamabad nine.
Another 1,063 people have been injured nationwide, among them 321 children, 450 men and 292 women. Punjab again bore the heaviest toll with 661 injured, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 218 and Sindh with 87.
The NDMA said 273,524 relief items have been distributed so far, including tents, blankets, ration bags, food packs, hygiene kits and safe drinking water. Additional supplies such as solar panels, de-watering pumps and generators have also been provided.
Since June 26, authorities have established 1,690 relief and medical camps in flood-hit areas. Of these, 741 medical camps have treated 662,098 patients, while 949 relief camps have provided shelter and services to 152,252 people.
The floods have destroyed or damaged 12,569 homes, killed 6,509 livestock and left communities struggling with displacement and shortages of essential resources.
Infrastructure losses include 239 bridges and nearly 2,000 kilometres of roads. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suffered the worst damage with 52 bridges and 437km of roads lost, followed by AJK with 94 bridges and 201km of roads damaged.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported damage to 87 bridges, Balochistan three, and Islamabad three. Sindh recorded no bridge damage but reported losses to seven kilometres of roads. The Islamabad Capital Territory also experienced damage to three bridges.
With input from APP
Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2025
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