ISLAMABAD\/ LAHORE
\nPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the flood situation across the country and the ongoing relief operations. The session focused on the impact of flooding in various regions, particularly in Punjab, where the Sutlej River\u2019s rising waters have caused widespread disruption.
\n\u201cRescue operations must be accelerated in the flood-affected districts of Punjab,\u201d he directed, highlighting the urgency of the situation. He also ordered an expedited evacuation of individuals trapped in the affected areas and emphasised the importance of ensuring the timely supply of food, medicine, and tents to those in need.
\nPM Shehbaz instructed the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to maintain close contact with the Disaster Management Authority of Punjab for coordinated efforts. According to a briefing during the meeting, flood warnings for the Sutlej River had been issued in advance, allowing for the evacuation of residents from surrounding areas. As a result, no casualties have been reported from the river\u2019s affected regions so far.
\nIn total, over 174,000 people have been safely relocated to higher ground, with rescue operations continuing in the worst-hit districts. Efforts are also underway in Narowal district, where floodwaters from the Lahri Bund have prompted the evacuation of residents.
\nIn Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, power restoration efforts are underway in flood-hit areas, while the national highway in Gilgit-Baltistan remains submerged over a two-kilometre stretch, with recovery efforts ongoing. The meeting also noted severe flooding in areas such as Gundasinghwala on the Sutlej River, Jaister on the Ravi River, and Marala on the Chenab River. Furthermore, the Dek Nullah region is experiencing intense flooding.
\nFederal ministers for Planning, Climate Change, Communications, Power, Information, Religious Affairs, and senior government officials attended the meeting to discuss the ongoing relief operations and strategies for flood management.
\nPDMA issues flood warning for Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej
\nMeanwhile, Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, Irfan Ali Kathia, has warned of rising water levels in key rivers in the province, raising concerns over potential flooding.
\nIn a statement issued on Tuesday, Kathia reported that water levels in the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej Rivers have been steadily increasing, while hill torrents and streams in the region are also experiencing flooding.
\n\u201cThere is a high risk of flood in these rivers over the next 48 hours,\u201d Kathia said. He further cautioned of the possibility of flash flooding in the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan, urging local authorities to remain vigilant.
\nRelief Commissioner Punjab Nabeel Javed confirmed that the provincial government has set up flood relief camps in affected areas, ensuring they are equipped with essential facilities to support displaced individuals and those at risk.
\nOn the other hand, authorities are on high alert, with efforts to enhance preparedness and coordinate flood relief operations across the province. Flooding in these rivers is expected to pose significant challenges to local communities, particularly in low-lying areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD\/ LAHORE Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the flood situation across the country and the ongoing relief operations. The session focused on the impact of flooding in various regions, particularly in Punjab, where the Sutlej River\u2019s rising waters have caused widespread disruption. \u201cRescue operations must be accelerated in the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":70508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85917"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85929,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85917\/revisions\/85929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}