ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Monday issued a fresh flood alert, warning of rising river levels across the province that has already suffered weeks of rain-related damage and repeated flooding this monsoon season.
This year’s monsoon season, stretching from late June through September, has been one of the deadliest in recent years, killing at least 1,006 people nationwide and displacing tens of thousands, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The downpours have damaged hundreds of thousands of homes and large stretches of roads, while washing away livestock and destroying key crops — including cotton, rice, and maize — across the country’s agricultural heartland.
Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous and agriculturally vital province, has been hit by repeated flooding since August, with nearly 2.5 million acres of farmland destroyed.
“Flows in River Jhelum at Mangla upstream are likely to rise, with a possibility of reaching medium flood level within the next 24 hours,” a PDMA spokesperson said. “There is also a likelihood of low flood conditions in River Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala, depending on water releases from India.”
