LAHORE (Monetring Desk) – In just 48 hours, nearly 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Pakistan’s Punjab province after fresh flood alerts from India, officials confirmed Wednesday. The latest wave of evacuations has pushed the total displaced since last month to a staggering 1.3 million people.
Floodwaters have already swallowed dozens of villages in Muzaffargarh, after earlier devastating Narowal and Sialkot near the Indian border. Authorities are now battling to divert overflowing rivers onto farmland to shield major cities in what officials describe as one of Punjab’s largest-ever rescue missions.
“Thousands of rescuers, along with the military, are using boats and drones to save stranded villagers and livestock,” said Arfan Ali Kathia, head of Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority. India’s second flood alert in 24 hours, triggered by dam releases and relentless rains, has left rescuers scrambling.
So far, more than 3.3 million people in 33,000 villages have been affected. Relief camps shelter around 40,000 people, though survivors complain of meager aid, poor conditions, and delayed food supplies.
Farmers like Noor Mohammad of Sher Shah village say they’ve received no help: “I had to send my family to relatives. I’m left watching my land sink underwater.” Another displaced resident, Malik Ramzan, chose to remain near his damaged home, saying camps offer little dignity: “We are treated like beggars.”
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif visited Muzaffargarh Wednesday, hours after India issued the fresh alert. She met families in relief camps and pledged support, while officials promised compensation for lost homes and crops.
Last week, floods inundated Kasur, Bahawalpur, and Narowal—submerging the shrine of Guru Nanak, which has since reopened after cleanup.
The disaster is Pakistan’s worst flooding since 2022, when climate-driven rains killed nearly 1,700 people. With water still rising and more alerts expected, the struggle to protect lives and livelihoods continues.
