Floods Force Mass Evacuations in Pakistan's Sindh

(MENAFN) Floodwaters have inundated Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, forcing the evacuation of more than 100,000 residents, authorities confirmed on Friday.

Sharjeel Inam Memon, Senior Minister of Sindh, stated that 109,320 individuals had been relocated to safer locations, particularly near riverbanks, in response to the escalating floods.

"Most people have been evacuated from Katcha areas as precautionary measures," Memon remarked in a statement.

As floodwaters continue to surge in the Sutlej and Chenab rivers, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued urgent warnings for multiple regions.

"The River Indus at Guddu is expected to reach high to very high flood levels from September 7th to 8th," the PDMA warned in a separate announcement.

In addition, the country's weather department has forecast heavy rainfall across Sindh, Punjab, Gilgit Baltistan, Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces starting Saturday.

The Sindh government has set up relief camps in safer zones to accommodate the displaced population. Rescue teams and health personnel have been mobilized across the flood-prone areas to ensure timely evacuations and provide medical assistance.

Floodwaters, which initially devastated northern Pakistan and northeastern Punjab, have now reached southern Sindh. On Friday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued a fresh flood alert for Punjab after reports indicated that India had released more water from its Sutlej dams.

India has previously cautioned Pakistan about potential flooding, following its suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty in April. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that flood data is being shared with Islamabad on " humanitarian considerations."

"We have been sharing high flood data with Pakistan through our diplomatic channels whenever required. This data sharing is happening through our High Commission in Islamabad," Jaiswal stated on Friday.

In Punjab, approximately 900,000 people and 600,000 animals have already been evacuated from flood-affected regions.

This year marks the first time in Pakistan’s history that all three eastern rivers—Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej—have overflowed simultaneously, affecting nearly 4,000 villages and displacing over 2 million people.

Flood and rain-related incidents in Punjab have resulted in an additional eight fatalities over the past 24 hours, bringing the provincial death toll to 66 since August 25.

Since the monsoon season began on June 26, Pakistan has seen at least 892 fatalities, with nearly 580 deaths occurring since August 14. Over 400 of these deaths have occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Government reports confirm that the current floods are the worst since the catastrophic 2022 monsoon season, which devastated a third of the country, resulting in over 1,700 deaths and $32 billion in infrastructure damages.

Meanwhile, in neighboring India, monsoon rains have caused widespread devastation, including cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides. In Punjab alone, 43 people have died due to floods since August 1, while the death toll from rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh has surpassed 350 since June.

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