Islamabad, September 1, 2025: Authorities in Pakistan’s federal capital placed the city on flood alert Monday after heavy downpours swelled the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers, raising fears of fresh inundations across Punjab and beyond amid ongoing cross-border water releases from India.
The alert followed days of devastation in Punjab, where more than two million people have been affected and over 2,000 villages submerged. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), nearly 760,000 people and 516,000 animals have been evacuated, while at least 33 people have lost their lives in less than a week.
Nationwide, seasonal rains and floods have killed 854 people since the monsoon began on June 26, reviving grim memories of the 2022 catastrophe, when a third of Pakistan was submerged, more than 1,700 lives were lost, and economic damages topped $35 billion.
In Islamabad, Deputy Commissioner’s office directed special monitoring of low-lying areas and storm drains. “Rain in the federal capital, district administration on high alert,” the DC’s statement read.
Spokesperson Muhammad Nasir Butt said that most parts of the capital were unaffected, with only minor water accumulation in some areas. “A total of 42 millimeters of rain was recorded today at Saidpur village, but conditions have cleared and there is no major flooding in the federal capital,” he said, adding that teams were clearing patches of water in the D-12 sector and along Margalla Road.
Meanwhile, river flows in Punjab remained dangerously high. The PDMA reported the Chenab at 91,940 cusecs at Marala Headworks, 136,039 at Khanki, 159,940 at Qadirabad, and a massive 550,965 at Trimmu. The Ravi was at 152,415 cusecs at Balloki and 99,250 at Sidhnai, both rising. The Sutlej measured 253,068 cusecs at Ganda Singh Wala, 124,274 at Sulemanki, and 121,013 at Panjnad.
“All relevant departments are on alert due to water being released into the Chenab by India,” PDMA Punjab Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said. He warned of an “extremely high flood” at Balloki on the Ravi and predicted the Panjnad — where Punjab’s five rivers merge — could reach nearly one million cusecs between September 2 and 3.
Separately, Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters circulated a letter citing an Indian High Commission advisory of possible “high flood” levels at Harike and Ferozepur on the Sutlej. Under the Indus Waters Treaty, India routinely releases excess water from its reservoirs when they reach capacity.
