Catastrophic flooding is devastating large parts of Pakistan’s Punjab province, forcing the emergency evacuation of some 200,000 people as homes, villages, and farmland are submerged. Disaster authorities have warned of “exceptionally high” flood levels along the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers, prompting several districts to call in the army for assistance with large-scale rescue operations.
The deluge is the result of a dual threat: historically intense monsoon rains, which have already killed more than 800 people across Pakistan since June, and a recent warning from India about its intention to release excess water from major upstream dams. This combination has led to record-breaking rainfall in cities like Sialkot and has put major urban centers, including my current location of Lahore, on high alert as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledges full government cooperation.
Massive rescue efforts are underway across the province. Emergency teams are navigating submerged villages by boat, going door-to-door to relocate stranded residents and their valuable livestock. According to local officials, these boat crews have already carried more than 32,000 people to safety from areas completely cut off by the rising floodwaters.
Despite the imminent danger, many residents are making the desperate choice to stay behind. In the hard-hit Kasur district, on the border with India, villagers told the BBC they simply cannot afford the economic ruin of another evacuation. Many, like local farmer Nadeem Ahmad, are refusing to leave their homes and livestock, choosing to risk their lives to protect their livelihoods rather than face certain poverty.
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This disaster unfolds against a tense geopolitical backdrop. The flood warning from India marked a rare instance of official public contact between the two nuclear-armed rivals since their significant military conflict in May. The communication underscores a shared regional crisis, as both countries have been ravaged by the same extreme monsoon weather, which also caused a deadly landslide in Indian-occupied Kashmir this week, killing at least 30 people.
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