1.46 Million Affected by Pakistan's Punjab Floods

Massive monsoon swells trigger embankment breaches; Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej inundate 1,400 villages, forcing 265,000 evacuations

- AGENCIES

Pakistan's Punjab province has witnessed the worst floods in decades, affecting more than 1.46 million people across the province. Dawn reported.

The Punjab government has launched one of its largest evacuation drives in decades, with authorities expecting a rise in the water levels of the Chenab River at Head Trimmu.

At least 17 people have died as extremely heavy floods in the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers inundated hundreds of villages, submerging farmlands and damaging vital grain crops.

The crisis, triggered by heavy monsoon downpours, pushed the three rivers into spate. To contain the pressure, authorities breached embankments at several locations, resulting in flooding that affected over 1,400 villages. The Flood Forecasting Division has warned that 700,000-800,000 cusecs of water could pass through the Chenab system in the next 48 hours, raising fears of large-scale destruction, Dawn reported.