LAHORE/ MULTAN/ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: At least three boat capsize incidents in southern Punjab over the past week have claimed 14 lives, while search operations are under way for four more missing persons.
Rescuers, however, managed to save more than 40 people during these emergencies.
In the deadliest incident, a rescue boat evacuating flood-displaced families capsized in the Multan region on Tuesday, killing nine people, officials confirmed on Thursday.
According to Musarrat Jabeen, the region’s top government administrator, the boat carrying 20 passengers overturned on the swollen Indus River after strong winds and fast currents caused it to lose balance. Rescuers initially recovered five bodies on Tuesday, while four more were pulled out by Thursday morning with the help of Pakistan Army divers. The victims included women and children. Earlier on Saturday, five people drowned in a similar tragedy on the outskirts of Jalalpur Pirwala after the Chenab and Sutlej rivers flooded the region following water releases from Indian dams.
Rescue teams have since been reinforcing embankments around Jalalpur Pirwala to protect the city, as surrounding villages remain inundated, displacing tens of thousands of people.
Many residents of flood-hit areas complain they are still awaiting help, with families sheltering in tents or along roadsides.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Wednesday that emergency services had deployed 100 boats equipped with life jackets and floodlights, along with four helicopters, to ensure safe evacuations and food supply in the affected regions.
Meanwhile, rescue operations have been underway at the 86M dam on the outskirts of Jalalpur Pirwala (Multan) since early Thursday morning, as authorities struggle to save the city from devastating floodwaters.
To divert the flow, a controlled crack was made on the Uch Sharif Road on Wednesday night. However, officials said the water pressure on the temporary dam protecting Jalalpur Pirwala remains dangerously high.
CPO Multan Sadiq Ali Dogar confirmed that nearly 90 per cent of the surrounding areas of Jalalpur Pirwala tehsil — comprising over 100 villages — have been completely submerged. He added that evacuation from the city and its peripheries is being carried out on an emergency basis as floodwaters have encircled Jalalpur Pirwala from all sides.
Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, along with other cabinet members, is directly supervising rescue and relief operations at the 86M dam. Shops and markets in Jalalpur Pirwala remain shut as floodwater has entered Basti Long, Basti Kanha and Bahadurpur through the crack on Uch Sharif Road. Authorities are continuing evacuation in settlements where water is expected to advance.
Meanwhile, on the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, ministers and senior officials have shifted to Jalalpur Pirwala to oversee rescue and relief operations in the worst flood-hit tehsil of Multan district.
Additional Chief Secretary Punjab Ahmed Raza Sarwar removed the local assistant commissioner and directed the PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia to remain stationed in Jalalpur Pirwala until every stranded resident is rescued. The flood situation in the Sutlej River showed slight improvement on Thursday, with water levels at several points in Burewala and Vehari sub-divisions dropping by two feet over the past 24 hours, according to the Irrigation Department. Despite the decline, high flood levels persisted at Head Islam with inflow and outflow of 121,010 cusecs, and at Mailsi Siphon with 120,000 cusecs, the Flood Forecasting Division reported.
Deputy Commissioner Vehari Imrana Tauqir said the floods had inundated 94 villages, affecting 78,651 people. Of these, 75,035 residents and 117,492 livestock were shifted to safer places, while 65,124 acres of crops were destroyed.
Relief operations have intensified with the setup of 500 additional tents, ration distribution, 100 tons of fodder for livestock, and cooked meals for 7,000 people daily. Medical teams have treated 11,151 patients and vaccinated more than 70,000 animals.
On the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the district administration is ensuring timely evacuation and essential supplies for affected families.
According to PDMA, 706,000 people have been affected and 362,000 shifted to safer places, while 311,000 cattle have been evacuated. At least 138 villages remain inundated. Relief efforts include the deployment of four helicopters, 100 rescue boats, life jackets, 2,000 tents, and night search equipment, under CM Maryam Nawaz orders. Around 78 relief, medical, and veterinary camps are operational.
Meanwhile, Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) disconnected power supply to over 182,000 consumers across 13 districts under safety SOPs, though restoration has begun in some areas as floodwaters recede.
The PDMA reported gradual improvement in water levels of Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers, with flows at most headworks and barrages stabilising.
Separately, Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Musadik Malik said on Thursday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the ministry to prepare a comprehensive 300-day implementation plan within 15 days to tackle the growing impacts of climate change, including threats from monsoon rains and glacial melting.
Addressing a press conference alongside NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik, the minister said the plan will be finalised in coordination with federal ministries, provincial governments, the armed forces, NGOs, and welfare organisations.
He noted that the prime minister has declared both a national climate emergency and an agricultural emergency, stressing that the measures are preventive and aimed at minimising losses ahead of next year’s monsoon season.
Malik said over 2.5 million people have already been evacuated in Punjab, while Sindh has been issued early warnings as floodwaters approach from the north. Relief efforts are being bolstered by the military, provincial administrations, and NGOs, which have delivered over 2,000 tons of aid.
“This is a natural calamity, and we face it collectively as one nation,” Malik said, stressing unity and resilience. He added that the climate action plan would be finalized within a month, ensuring Pakistan is better prepared for future challenges.
NDMA Chairman Lt-Gen Inam Haider Malik said that 9,500 tons of relief supplies have been delivered to flood-affected areas in Punjab, including over 9,000 tents provided under military assistance. The overall package comprises 30,000 tents, boats, and ration kits.
The NDMA chairman said more than 2.4 million people have been evacuated from flood-prone villages in Punjab, where over 5,000 villages remain submerged. Relief operations are being carried out in coordination with state institutions, private enterprises, and NGOs. In Sindh, around 150,000 people have been relocated with the help of volunteers.
He cautioned that a new spell of moderate rainfall is forecast from September 16 to 18, affecting AJK, northern and central Punjab, and parts of KP. Rehabilitation efforts are expected to begin in three to four weeks, once roads and communication infrastructure are restored.
Malik warned that climate-related disasters are intensifying due to glacial melt and erratic rainfall, affecting even traditionally safe regions like GB and KP. He noted that key crops such as rice, cotton, and sugarcane have suffered severe losses, with a detailed damage assessment under way.
Separately, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday received a detailed briefing from Provincial Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro and Chief Engineer Mukhtiar Abro on the flood situation and the condition of the Moria Embankment.
Bilawal said floodwaters were now moving from Punjab towards Sindh, where 45 vulnerable points have been identified along the Indus River. He expressed confidence in the provincial government’s preparedness, noting that measures had already been taken to strengthen Sukkur Barrage.
He stated that the construction of a new barrage was beyond the capacity of a single province and required collective national effort.
Bilawal was accompanied by MPAs Sohail Anwar Sial, Jamil Soomro, and other party leaders during the visit.
