Bahawalnagar and its adjacent areas in Punjab are experiencing extensive flooding after the Sutlej River overflowed, submerging dozens of villages and displacing thousands of residents. While the government has set up relief camps in the affected districts, many people, including a large number of children, are still waiting for urgent evacuation and assistance.
Pakistan is currently dealing with severe monsoon rains that have caused flash floods, swollen rivers, and full dams, with more than 800 deaths reported since late June. Amid the heavy rains, India released excess water from its dams this week, which has increased the flow of rivers downstream in Punjab. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has stated that Pakistan has evacuated over 210,000 villagers living near the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers that flow from India.
Punjab, the country’s most populous province, is facing one of its worst floods in recent history, with rivers at full capacity and vast areas of farmland now underwater. In Bahawalnagar, a district with a population of nearly 3 million, floodwaters have inundated several settlements, forcing families to evacuate with help from Rescue 1122 teams. Boats carrying household belongings were seen moving through the floodwaters, while many residents attempted to move their possessions to dry land on their own. Those displaced are either taking shelter in relief camps or with relatives.
Residents told Geo News that government aid is limited, and many families are stranded without food, shelter, or medical help. Fields, crops, and livestock have also been severely affected, worsening the crisis, and floodwaters have cut off key connecting roads, isolating multiple villages. The full extent of the damage to lives, property, and agriculture will only become clear as the water recedes, but both officials and residents are calling this one of the most devastating flood emergencies in the region in years. Authorities have warned that the flood surge, currently moving downstream from Bahawalnagar and Minchinabad, is expected to advance towards Head Islam—a headworks on the Sutlej River—and Panjnad—a river at the end of the district—in the coming days.
