• More than 4,500 affected villages; 2,000 teams to conduct a survey
• 118 deaths reported in incidents linked to floods
• Sutlej floods the fine disorder, Lodhran, Bahawalpur
• NHA run to restore damaged sections of the M-5 highway
LAHORE: After the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Punjab government has announced that it will soon launch a comprehensive damage assessment survey in the 28 districts affected by the floods of the province.
The decision to launch the survey was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman in the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday.
The meeting reviewed the relief efforts and rehabilitation of flood floods in the province and evaluated the preparation of local administrations for the effective distribution of aid, the restoration of the damaged infrastructure and the deployment of health services in the affected areas.
The chief secretary directed the provision of tents and supplies of additional foods to the communities affected by the floods of Uch Sharif. He instructed the bahawalpur attached commissioner (DC) to remain in the field and personally supervise relief operations in the district.
Zaman said that a survey would soon begin to evaluate the loss of human life during flooding and damage caused to houses, crops and cattle.
The DC has been addressed to personally supervise the survey process in the field to guarantee transparency and precision.
The main secretary also emphasized the rapid drainage of stagnant flood water, prevention of disease outbreaks, improvement in the sanitation and restoration of road connectivity in the affected areas.
“As water levels go back, the water pond should be cleaned without any delay,” he said.
The Punjab Help Commissioner, Nabeel Javed, informed the meeting that more than 4,500 villages had been affected by recent floods. More than 2,000 equipment for evaluation are mobilizing. The families displaced in the districts of Nareowal, Sialkot, Chinint, Jhang, Okara, Sahiwal and Sargodha have now begun to return home.
The meeting was attended by the additional chief secretary, the Secretary of Finance and other senior officials of the relevant departments. Division commissioners and attached commissioners of the entire province participated in the meeting through a video link.
Sutlej emerging
Meanwhile, water levels on the Sutlej river continued to increase, flooding low areas of fine, Bahawalpur and Lodhran.
Four days ago, the dike of Nortea Bhutta broke, immersing several union tips by Jalpur Pirwala, including Noraja Bhutta, Basti Lang, Bahadurpur, Dipal, Sundra, Kanu, Jhando, Betowali and Kotla Chakar.
To save the city of Jalpur Pirwala, the district administration carried out a controlled violation in Gillani Road, diverting water to the villages and the areas of Kutcha.
The waters of the floods damaged the fine-Sukkur (M-5) highway at five points and extended to the villages along the road in the districts of fine, Lodhran and Bahawalpur, including Phagal Marhi, Hayatpur, Jhanmp, Soiwala and Muradpur.
The floods also arrived at Uch Sharif, immersing nearby settlements such as Jhangra and Basti Mira Chakar Rind. The Fine-Uch Sharif highway section has been closed to traffic after serious damage to more than five locations. The officials and the police of the National Highway Authority (NHA) are enforcing the deviations, with the contingent reopening to retreat water levels and repairs.
When the water retreated in Alipur Tehsil of Muzafargarh, the authorities recovered nine bodies of submerged areas, all of which drowned during the flood.
The spokesman for the Fullan district administration, Waseem Yousuf, said Sunrise That while the Chenab levels fell, a great increase in flooding in the Sutlej would be expected to reach Jalpur in a matter of days, threatening the adjacent villages in Lodhran and Bahawalpur.
Help Commissioner Javed said 118 people had died in several accidents related to floods. He said that 4.7 million people in 47,000 Mouzas had been affected, with 2.6 million people and 2 million cattle evacuated. A total of 337 aid camps, 429 medical camps and 368 veterinary camps have been established.
He said that Mangla Dam is 95 percent full and Tarbela is at full capacity, while the Indian Bhakra dam is full of 88pc, Pong 94pc and Thein 88pc.
Punjab Pdma spokesman said water levels were falling into almost all the main rivers of Punjab, including Jhelum, Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab.
“A low -level flood persists in Panjnad, with the water level now at 148,450 CUSECs, while Singh Wala is still on a medium flooding with the water level 95,000 cusecs,” he said.
He said the water level in Sulemanki Headworks was increasing to 88,238 Cusecs, while Islam Headworks was stable 71,751.
Previously, the main secretary of Punjab, Zahid Akhtar Zaman, said the government will soon begin a survey to evaluate flood damage in the 28 districts affected by the floods of the province. He was presiding over a meeting to supervise the rehabilitation efforts and ordered the relevant authorities to guarantee the drainage of water in the areas affected by floods and the restoration of roads.
The chief secretary also directed the immediate shipment of tents and additional rations to areas affected by floods, particularly Uch Sharif in Bahawalpur, instructing the authorities to remain present in the field to supervise the aid agreements.
Damage to the highway
The NHA said on Wednesday that its teams were working 24 hours a day to restore the damaged section of the M-5 highway near Jalpur Pirwala.
In a statement, the authority said that the temporary restoration of a road had been achieved while engineers and experts continued permanent repair work. The federal secretary of Communications Ali Sher Mehsud and the president of the NHA, Shehryar Sultan, have been on the site to monitor the situation.
Several sections of the highway were damaged after protective embankments cracked under flood pressure of the Chenab and Sutlej rivers. Traffic remains diverted to alternative roads until complete restoration is completed.
Syed Irfan Race in Islamabad also contributed to this report
Posted in Dawn, September 18, 2025
