ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province carried out an emergency breach on a protective embankment at Qadirabad Barrage on Wednesday as the Chenab River surged to dangerous levels, after the army was deployed overnight and 150,000 people were evacuated to safer areas.
The screengrab taken from a video shows authorities carrying out an emergency breach on a protective embankment at Qadirabad Barrage on August 27, 2025, as the Chenab River surged to dangerous levels. (Photo courtesy: PDMA)
Since June 26, seasonal monsoon rains have killed 802 people across Pakistan, including 479 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 165 in Punjab, 57 in Sindh, 45 in Gilgit Baltistan, 24 in Balochistan and Azad Kashmir, and eight in Islamabad.
The latest surge of floodwaters in the Sutlej, Chenab and Ravi rivers has now turned Punjab into the main focus of the emergency, with large swathes of the province inundated. The government has called for the deployment of army units in eight districts — Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Narowal, Okara, Hafizabad and Sargodha — for rescue and relief operations.
“An extremely high flood has been recorded at Qadirabad Headworks on the Chenab River, with water flow measured at 935,000 cusecs,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a statement.
“An emergency breach was carried out on the right marginal embankment to protect the headworks, which will help reduce pressure on the structure.”
A few hours earlier, PDMA director general Irfan Ali Katia said the Chenab and Ravi had risen sharply within hours.
“The water went ... to medium and exceptionally high within hours,” he told reporters at a briefing. “Because of this, we did the evacuations overnight.”
Katia said 150,000 people had been moved to safety. He described river levels as “historical peaks” not seen since 2014. Around 100–110 relief camps have been set up, providing food, medical care and livestock cover, he said, adding: “We have given 900 million rupees ($3.2 million) to all the vulnerable districts, to their deputy commissioners, for those arrangements.”
The disaster agency chief urged people in floodplains to evacuate immediately, warning:
“For the next 48 hours, this is critical for the Rawi River and downstream Khan in Chenab.”
EXTRAORDINARY FLOWS
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned of “extraordinary” flows in rivers, with the Chenab crossing 900,000 cusecs at Marala Headworks and the Ravi exceeding 200,000 cusecs at Jassar. It said low-lying areas near Lahore, including Shahdara, Park View and Motorway-2, were at risk.
A family with their belongings takes refuge over a roof of their house near Chenab River, following the monsoon rains and rising water level in Wazirabad. (Reuters)
“The situation in the Chenab and Ravi rivers is extremely dangerous,” the NDMA said, urging residents along riverbanks to relocate immediately.
The Flood Forecasting Division in Lahore warned of exceptionally high flood levels in the Chenab at Trimmu on Aug. 29, at Panjnad on Sept. 2, and in the Indus at Guddu and Sukkur between Sept. 4–5. Very high to exceptionally high flows were also forecast for the Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala and the Ravi at Jassar.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an emergency meeting on Wednesday, where the NDMA briefed him on forecasts and relief efforts. He said early warnings had saved lives but called for alerts to be issued “more effectively.”
Sharif directed NDMA and Punjab PDMA to remain in constant contact and ordered the immediate delivery of tents and relief goods. He instructed ministers for energy, communications and planning to travel to Lahore to coordinate with provincial authorities, ensure uninterrupted power, and restore roads and communications.
A rescue worker helps a family board in a boat to evacuate them from a flooded area in Dhoop Sarhi village in Kasur district, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, due to the rising water level in Sutlej River, following neighboring India releasing water from overflowing dams. (AP)
The prime minister also ordered preparations for possible urban flooding in Gujrat, Sialkot and Lahore, and directed that advance warnings be given in Sindh as floodwaters move downstream.
Officials warn the current monsoon spell could last until at least Sept. 10 and may rival the 2022 floods, which killed more than 1,700 people and caused more than $30 billion in damage.
Annual monsoon rains are vital for Pakistan’s agriculture and water supply but in recent years have brought devastation, a trend experts link to climate change. Despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, facing increasingly erratic weather from droughts and heatwaves to record-breaking rains.
