ISLAMABAD: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has said that water levels in flood-affected areas in Punjab are receding “significantly,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday, with the death toll from monsoon rains and floods rising to 304 since late June.
Heavy monsoon rains and floods in Pakistan have killed at least 1,006 people nationwide and injured 1,063 since Jun. 26. While Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has reported the highest deaths, 504, Punjab reported devastation on a massive scale in late August. Heavy rains coupled with excess water released by dams in India triggered floods in the province, killing 134 and injuring 13.
Over 4,700 villages in Punjab, also known as Pakistan’s breadbasket province, were inundated while 4.7 million people were affected in total. Authorities said they launched the largest search and rescue operation in the province, evacuating 2.6 million people and 2.1 million animals to safer locations. Water levels have recently started receding in Punjab’s Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers as floods continue to flow downstream into Sindh.
“Provincial Disaster Management Authority Punjab says the flow of water in the rivers is normal across the province,” Radio Pakistan said. “In a statement, Director General PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia said water levels in the flood-affected areas are also receding significantly.”
