Islamabad, August 27, 2025: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik has warned that flood pressure on Punjab’s rivers is expected to intensify over the coming days, as heavy rainfall and water releases from India continue to swell river flows.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, the NDMA chief said Pakistan is experiencing the eighth and penultimate spell of this year’s monsoon. Torrential rains have lashed northern Punjab and Indian-occupied Kashmir, where precipitation reached 300 mm in Jammu and up to 600 mm near Sialkot. “Floodwaters have now entered Pakistan through the Sutlej, Chenab and Ravi rivers,” he confirmed.
At Head Marala, the Chenab peaked at 700,000 cusecs before receding to around 550,000 cusecs. However, at Head Khanki, a discharge of one million cusecs is building pressure on Qadirabad. “Army engineers and PDMA Punjab are considering a controlled breach to relieve this pressure,” he noted.
The Ravi River is also surging, with 230,000 cusecs at Jesar and rising flows of nearly 80,000 cusecs recorded at Shahdara. Further rainfall is expected in Sialkot, Narowal and Gujranwala within the next 12–24 hours. In the Sutlej, a flood of 250,000 cusecs is currently passing through Ganda Singh, mirroring 2023 levels that had forced large-scale evacuations.
So far, around 200,000 residents along the Sutlej have been evacuated with the support of the Pakistan Army, PDMA, and rescue agencies. Relief camps are providing food and medical assistance. “Our foremost priority is the safe relocation of people,” the NDMA chairman stressed, adding that the Army Chief has directed all formations to assist operations.
Lt Gen Malik described the 2025 monsoon as “unusual and shifting,” extending from mountain regions to the plains. He warned that Pakistan, home to the world’s largest glacial reserves outside the poles, is witnessing accelerated melting. Experts predict up to 60% of glaciers may vanish within 50–60 years, he cautioned.
April this year was the hottest in 65 years, triggering faster glacial melt and multiple glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Since the onset of the monsoon, 804 people have died and more than 1,000 have been injured nationwide.
He said floodwaters at Khanki and Qadirabad have touched nearly one million cusecs, while flows of 500,000–700,000 cusecs are expected at Panjnad. The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit flood-hit areas tomorrow.
Looking ahead, the NDMA forecasts a 22% increase in monsoon intensity for 2026. “Pakistan remains the fifth most climate-affected country,” the chairman said, adding that the NDMA’s forecasting system, drawing data from over 370 satellites, maintains an accuracy of 90–95%.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Atta Tarar said the NDMA, PDMAs, and provincial administrations had been placed on high alert, with tents and essential supplies being distributed. He warned of further pressure building toward Qadirabad.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that two soldiers were martyred and two others injured during rescue operations. So far, 28,000 people have been rescued in Punjab, KP, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. “No post in flood-hit areas has been abandoned,” ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assured, vowing that the Pakistan Army and people remain united in the crisis.
