Floods trigger evacuations in northeast Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Floodwaters submerged swaths in Pakistan's northeastern Punjab province, prompting authorities to intensify evacuations, officials and local media reported on Thursday.

Acting Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi said in a tweet that at least 40 villages of Jhang district have been affected by the raging floodwaters due to the inflow of river Chenab.

Authorities in Punjab's Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, and Wazirabad districts have been put on "high alert" due to floods threat, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a statement.

Over 80 "shelter and relief" camps have been established by the government in the said districts to accommodate the evacuated residents, it added.

Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast a fresh spell of monsoon rains from July 13 to 17 in the upper and central parts of the country, posing flooding threats to several districts.

Apart from Chenab, the Sutlej and Ravi rivers are also flowing in moderate to high floods due to massive rains in the northern states of India, where the catchment areas of the two water bodies are located.

Following the massive rains, India is releasing more water towards the downstream areas in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, in a tweet, warned of urban flooding, thunderstorms, and landslides during the fresh monsoon spell, urging the tourists going to those regions "to exercise caution to avoid misadventures.”

At least 76 people have been killed and over 150 injured by massive rains and floods since June, according to the official statistics.