Beijing/Multan, September 3, 2025: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to strengthen preparedness and ensure timely public warnings as water levels continue to rise in the Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers.
Speaking by phone from Beijing with NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik, the premier emphasized close coordination with provincial governments to expedite relief operations and safeguard vulnerable communities. The NDMA chief briefed him on the flood situation and ongoing rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif visited Head Muhammad Wala in Multan to personally review defenses at the breaching point and oversee relief operations. She assisted a family trapped in floodwaters, helping ensure their safe evacuation along with their livestock. “I came here to share in your suffering,” she told the affected family, who expressed gratitude for her intervention.
Maryam also inspected operations using thermal imaging drones and monitored live flood updates from a PDMA disaster van. She instructed officials to deploy additional mobile disaster vans and strengthen mosquito control, sanitation, and uninterrupted supply of essentials — particularly milk for children — at relief camps.
According to officials, 138 villages and over 364,000 residents in Multan district have been affected so far, with more than 120,000 livestock rescued. Some 25 flood relief camps have been established, housing nearly 8,000 people with food, medical care, and other necessities provided round the clock.
NDMA reports warn of a critical surge at Panjnad between September 4–5, where floodwaters from the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej are expected to converge, creating a high flood risk. Authorities have urged residents in low-lying areas to relocate immediately and avoid non-essential travel.
At Marala Headworks, flows have reached 548,237 cusecs in the Chenab River. The flood wave is expected to reach Khanki by tonight (8 PM), Qadirabad early Thursday, and Trimmu on September 8, before moving toward Panjnad (Sept 11) and Guddu Barrage (Sept 13).
Heavy rains over the next 48 hours are forecast in northern Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Kashmir, with southern Punjab and Sindh likely to receive intense downpours from September 6 onward. Coastal districts including Badin, Sujawal, and Tharparkar face additional risks of heavy rainfall.
So far, about 5,700 tons of relief supplies have been dispatched to affected regions. NDMA and provincial disaster authorities, in coordination with the armed forces and civil administration, remain on high alert.
Residents in flood-prone areas near Khanki, Qadirabad, Trimmu, Panjnad, and Guddu have been advised to move to safe shelters and strictly follow evacuation orders.
