PDMA Warns of Fresh Flood Threat From India

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued a warning of a fresh flood threat in Punjab, as more than 70,000 cusecs of water are expected to enter Pakistan from India in the coming days.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said that heavy rainfall across the region has worsened the situation, with Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin recording the highest downpours in the past 24 hours.

Kathia noted that water levels at Ganda Singh Wala have eased slightly after a dam breach in India, but high flood conditions persist at Head Sulemanki and Head Islam.

• At Head Marala, inflows have reached 175,000 cusecs.
• In Chiniot, water levels peaked at more than 800,000 cusecs before receding to around 650,000 cusecs.
• A massive wave of about 830,000 cusecs is now expected at Head Trimu, while rising levels in the Ravi and Sutlej rivers pose a growing threat to downstream areas.
• At Head Muhammad Wala, where the waters converge, flows between 700,000–800,000 cusecs, which could force further controlled breaches of embankments to save urban centres.

The DG said unprecedented precautionary measures were being taken. More than 800 rescue boats and 13,000 personnel, supported by the Pakistan Army, are working in flood-hit areas.

So far, floods have impacted:

• 966,000 people along the Chenab,
• 232,000 people along the Ravi, and
• 313,000 people along the Sutlej.

Hundreds of relief camps are active, with 6,000–7,000 people in Lahore alone receiving food and shelter. At least 30 people have died, most of them in accidental incidents linked to the flooding, Kathia confirmed.

He also criticized the absence of an information-sharing mechanism with India, saying Pakistan receives no timely alerts about water releases across the border.

“Despite federal efforts, we still do not get advance updates from India,” he said. “Once rescue operations are complete, comprehensive rehabilitation of victims will follow.”