Lahore, October 7, 2025 (TNS): The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab on Tuesday warned of a potential medium-level flood in the River Sutlej within the next 24 hours, with elevated water levels expected to persist for up to two days. Most rivers across the province, however, currently remain within safe limits.
The latest advisory follows weeks of heavy monsoon rains that have claimed more than 1,000 lives nationwide, displaced thousands, and damaged over 2.5 million acres of farmland. Punjab — Pakistan’s agricultural hub — has experienced recurrent flooding since August due to excessive water releases from India and continuous rainfall that has left riverbanks and embankments saturated.
“The River Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala is expected to reach the medium flood level within the next 24 hours and sustain the level for the subsequent two days,” the PDMA said in its advisory, referring to the monitoring point near Kasur district along the Pakistan–India border.
The authority noted that water levels in the Sutlej and Ravi rivers depend on releases from Indian reservoirs and directed all divisional and deputy commissioners to remain on high alert. It also placed the Health, Irrigation, Communication and Works, Local Government, and Livestock Departments on standby for possible emergency operations.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said the Sutlej currently stands at a low flood level at Ganda Singh Wala but warned that flows could rise sharply over the next 48 hours due to upstream inflows and rainfall in the catchment areas.
“District administrations have been directed to stay vigilant as water levels in Punjab’s rivers and tributaries may increase with ongoing rainfall,” Kathia said.
The PDMA instructed all departments to ensure round-the-clock staffing at emergency centers, activate early warning systems, and pre-position heavy machinery in vulnerable areas to handle potential breaches or infrastructure damage.
Residents were advised to exercise caution during adverse weather and stay updated through official PDMA alerts. The agency said its control room was continuously monitoring river flows in coordination with the Irrigation Department and local administrations for real-time response.
