The River Chenab is expected to be in high flood in the next 24 to 36 hours as India on Sunday opened all spillways of the swollen Salal Dam, prompting the authorities to issue yet another warning of a flood in the river, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
On the other hand, over 2,300 villages have been flooded, crops grown over millions of acres of land have been destroyed while over 1.5 million people have been rendered homeless due to the floods that have wreaked havoc from Sialkot to Lahore, Kasur to Bahawalnagar and Gujrat to Jhang.
Meanwhile, the death toll from floods has risen to 33, while over 600,000 people have been evacuated; thousands of cattle have perished; the road connection between villages and cities has been severed and internet services have been suspended.
Meanwhile, rivers Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab continue to remain in high flood.
180 villages flooded in Jhang
As many as 180 villages have been flooded while crops grown over hundreds of acres of land have been destroyed after the River Chenab burst its banks in Jhang.
People stuck in floodwaters were shifted to safe locations on boats.
The water flow at Head Trimmun has risen to 260,000 cusecs while the river was in high flood at Head Khanki and Qadirabad till last reports came in.
140 villages inundated in Shujabad
Water from the River Ravi entered 140 villages in tehsil Shujaabad of Multan, while the river was in extremely high flood at Head Baloki and Chichawatni till last reports came in.
On the other hand, the water level in the river at Jasarr has again started rising.
Similarly, the River Sutlej was in extremely high flood at Ganda Singh Wala.
Residents of Theme Park in Lahore seek help
After losing their homes and belongings to floods, residents of the Theme Park in Lahore have appealed to the government for help.
The ordeal of 10,000 residents of the housing society began four days ago when the water from the River Ravi spilled over into their homes, shops and roads.
Initially, the depth of the water was 20 feet. But later it came down to 12 feet.
Water level drops in River Ravi
Water level in the River Ravi, which had once touched 220,000 cusecs mark, has started dropping.
According to a report by the PDMA, the water level in the river continues to drop as at Jasarr, it has come down to 80, 220 cusecs.
Similarly, at Siphon, 77,430 cusecs of water is flowing, while at Shahdara it has now dropped to 76,700 cusecs.
River Sutlej in high flood in Bahawalpur
The River Sutlej, which is in high flood in Bahawalpur, burst its banks and flooded nearby villages, forcing the residents to shift to safe locations on their own.
The affected people have appealed to the government to waive the loans they have borrowed under the Kissan Cards and Tractor schemes.
Evacuation of people underway in Multan
People have been evacuated from several localities, including Basti Cheena, Basti Pipli and Kotla Sadaat, in view of floods in Multan district and shifted to safe locations.
The district administration and the police have been put on high alert.
Nullah Palkhu in low flood
Despite a drop in water level in the River Chenab, Nullah Palkhu in Wazirabad is still in low flood.
Road connection between different villages lies severed, creating great inconvenience for the people.
More than 2mn people affected in Punjab
Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab Director-General Irfan Ali Kathia on Sunday said that over 2 million people were badly affected and 33 lost their lives due to floods in Punjab.
Talking with the media, Irfan Ali Kathia said that “currently we are focused on saving the precious lives of the people in flood-affected areas.”
He said that three rivers in Punjab are facing a flood situation. The flow of floodwater at Head Trimmu reached 361,633 cusecs.
Irfan Ali Kathia revealed that a decrease was recorded in floodwater in the River Sutlej at Kasur. He said that PDMA is conducting the biggest rescue operation in the history of Punjab.
The PDMA DG said that the best care and facilities are being provided to people in flood relief camps. Irfan Ali Kathia said, “The drainage of floodwater will take time as rains have already started in Punjab.”
The DG said that due to the rains, we have to tackle urban flooding. Irfan Ali Kathia said that about 2200 villages were badly affected due to floods.
NDMA continues to provide food aid in relief camps
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) continued distribution of food in relief camps established for flood-affected people in six districts of Punjab.
As many as eight trucks loaded with food items were destined for the flood-affected areas of Wazirabad and Hafizabad.
NDMA already dispatched aid goods for Narowal and Sialkot, and preparations are underway to provide food aid to flood-affected people of Chiniot and Jhang.
Reporters: Arbaz Khan, Tahir Jameel Khan, Mehmood Zaheer, Rozina Ali, Ahmar Khan, Nayyar Alam