Pakistan: Punjab govt forms flood relief committees as 123 killed, 3775 villages hit

Lahore [Pakistan], September 20 (ANI): The Punjab government will establish flood relief committees at district and tehsil levels to oversee aid and rehabilitation in areas devastated by recent floods, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced, according to Dawn.

“A survey form, a mobile application and a central monitoring dashboard will ensure effective aid distribution and oversight,” Maryam said while chairing a meeting on Friday. She directed officials to initiate comprehensive rehabilitation efforts, restore roads and bridges, and devise simple procedures for providing assistance.

The chief minister said the floods had impacted 3,775 villages across 64 tehsils in 27 districts, damaging more than 63,000 concrete houses and over 309,000 mud houses. Survey teams comprising officials from the Urban Unit, Revenue Department, Agriculture Department and the Pakistan Army will collect data to ensure accurate assessments.

Maryam emphasised that no victim should be left without support. “We will compensate each individual for their losses so that no one is deprived of their rightful relief,” she said, while directing the establishment of additional relief camps and distribution points.

A devastating breach of the Sutlej River at Noraja Bhutta has intensified the crisis in south Punjab, inundating 150 more villages across Multan, Lodhran and Bahawalpur districts. Thousands have been displaced as floodwaters encroached on a 20-kilometre stretch near the Multan-Sukkur M-5 Motorway, Dawn reported.

In Bahawalpur, villages including Nowshera Jadeed, Saadullahpur, Soiwala, Nai Basti and Basti Chakar were submerged. In Lodhran, Adam Wahan, Munshi Wala, Jhangra and Thali Wala were washed away. Jalalpur Pirwala remains under water, with authorities considering breaching the motorway to redirect floodwaters into the Chenab. A technical committee is expected to review the plan.

Multan Division Commissioner Amir Karim Khan supervised rescue and relief operations in Jalalpur Pirwala, inspecting the damaged motorway section. National Highway Authority officials briefed him on ongoing repair work with heavy machinery. Motorway police spokesperson Imran Shah said the M-5 was closed due to flooding, with diversions set up through the national highway from Shah Shams and Uch Sharif interchanges.

Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said the death toll in Punjab had reached 123. He noted that floodwaters were receding in several areas, with boat operations discontinued. “A breached section of the bridge has been filled in,” Kathia said, confirming that all rivers had returned to normal levels except for a slightly higher flow in the Sutlej.

A report from the South Punjab Secretariat confirmed large-scale human and material losses, including 45 deaths, with 1.17 million people affected and 1,112 villages inundated. Floods damaged 1.17 million acres of farmland and destroyed crops on 1.25 million acres. Relief efforts include 1,145 camps providing food, medicine and other essentials, with over 1.5 million people and 1.47 million livestock evacuated. Medical treatment has been provided to 451,978 people, and 848,119 animals have been treated, Dawn reported.

Earlier, PPP’s Acting President Yusuf Raza Gilani visited Jalalpur Pirwala to review the situation. Speaking to the media, he said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had demanded that flood victims be assisted through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

He said he met Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah two days ago and discussed political matters and flood-affected areas. Gilani said Bhutto-Zardari had stressed BISP’s role in relief efforts, while Sanaullah maintained assistance would be conducted through other programmes.

Gilani urged the government to reconsider. He said, “The flood victims’ families should be supported via the BISP.” (ANI)

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