Pakistan — Rescue teams, backed by soldiers, evacuated more than 25,000 people from a city in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province as rising rivers threatened to inundate the area, officials said Monday.
Punjab Disaster Management Authority Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said the emergency rescue operation in Jalalpur Pirwala began late Sunday and continued throughout the night. As of Monday morning, approximately 25,000 people from high-risk neighborhoods had been moved to safer areas.
The latest evacuations from Jalalpur Pirwala come two days after a rescue boat capsized in floodwaters on the outskirts of the city, killing five people. Local officials said 15 more people were rescued after the boat capsized on Saturday.
Ghulam Shabir, a 50-year-old construction worker, said he moved to higher ground near the city after floodwaters entered his village, inundating homes and farmland. He called on the government to expedite rescue efforts because many people are still trapped in the flood-stricken villages.
The government has deployed hundreds of boats and thousands of rescue workers and volunteers to assist with evacuations in flood-affected areas.
The Markazi Muslim Association Pakistan, a volunteer group that acts as a first responder in natural disasters, is among those participating in the efforts, with members nationwide. The group’s spokesman, Taha Munir, said the floodwaters have inundated all the villages around Jalalpur Pirwala and are beginning to seep into the city.
“Many residents are refusing to leave, saying it’s better to stay on their roofs than to sit helplessly on the roadside,” he said.
Survivors told reporters that many people are trapped on rooftops and in trees.
“I saw with my own eyes people perched on tree branches, half submerged,” said Taj Din, one of a dozen evacuees rescued by boat.
Punjab government spokeswoman Uzma Bukhari said they used thermal imaging drones to locate people trapped in flooded areas, allowing them to be rescued by boat. Bukhari said the government was “doing its best to deal with this situation.”
Floods have so far affected more than 4.1 million people in 4,100 villages across 25 districts of Punjab province. Kathia said at least 56 people have died in the floods since August 26, and more than 2 million have been moved to safer areas.
A disaster management official told The Associated Press that tents and food aid were being provided to displaced families. He said the local government in the city of about 700,000 people is expediting evacuations with military and police support. Mosques are broadcasting evacuation announcements among residents sheltering in their vehicles due to heavy rains.
Punjab is conducting one of its largest rescue operations, aided by drones, after floodwaters inundated many areas after India released water from its dams last month. Waves swelled the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers, while heavy monsoon rains further raised water levels.
Kathia said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is personally monitoring the evacuation efforts from a central control room. Pakistani army, police, and rescue teams are providing assistance, including airlifts from remote villages via helicopters.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), monsoon floods have killed more than 900 people across Pakistan since the end of June. The authority noted that India re-informed Islamabad over the weekend through diplomatic channels about potential cross-border flooding.
Kathia said rising waters have displaced more than 2 million people in Punjab since heavy rains and dam floods began flooding rivers on August 23. He noted that only about 60,000 of them are living in official relief camps, while most have taken shelter with relatives in nearby towns or set up makeshift camps along the riverbanks, waiting for the waters to recede.
Evacuations are also ongoing in southern Sindh province, which faces increasing threats as water continues to flow into the Indus River, displacing more than 100,000 people from vulnerable settlements.
