KARACHI: The government in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province announced on Tuesday it had initiated a survey to assess damages caused by devastating floods, as the death toll from deluges since late August rose to 112.
Heavy monsoon rains and excess water released by Indian dams caused rivers flowing through Punjab to swell last month. Floodwaters inundated over 4,700 villages in Pakistan’s breadbasket Punjab province, destroying large swathes of standing crops, homes and forcing millions to shift to safer locations.
Water levels in Punjab’s Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers are on the decline now, as floodwaters head toward the southern Sindh province. The Punjab government says it has launched the largest rescue and relief operation in the province to save stranded citizens and livestock.
“The recent floods have resulted in 112 civilian deaths in various incidents,” the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a report.
Meanwhile, Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed said citizens’ losses will be compensated.
