Authorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province have evacuated more than 25,000 residents from the city of Jalalpur Pirwala as floodwaters from swollen rivers continue to threaten the region. The large-scale overnight operation, carried out with the support of troops and emergency services, was confirmed Monday morning by Irfan Ali Kathia, Director-General of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.
The evacuation follows a tragic incident on Saturday, when a rescue boat overturned near the city’s outskirts, killing five people. Despite ongoing rescue efforts, many villagers remain stranded on rooftops and in trees as water submerges surrounding communities. Survivors described seeing people clinging to branches, half-submerged in floodwaters, as pleas continue for the government to speed up rescue operations.
The Punjab government has deployed hundreds of boats and thousands of rescuers, volunteers, and soldiers to manage the crisis. Thermal imaging drones are being used to locate stranded residents. Provincial spokesperson Uzma Bukhari said the government is “doing its best to handle this situation,” while Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is personally monitoring operations from a central control room.
Floodwaters have already inundated villages around Jalalpur Pirwala and begun seeping into the city itself, which has nearly 700,000 residents. Mosques broadcast urgent evacuation appeals as residents scrambled onto vehicles in heavy rain. Despite these efforts, some residents have refused to leave, preferring to remain on their rooftops rather than wait on roadsides.
International assistance has started to arrive. Saudi Arabia has delivered 10,000 food packages and 10,000 shelter kits, while the United States dispatched emergency supplies over the weekend. Officials report that floods since August 26 have affected more than 4.1 million people in Punjab across 25 districts, with at least 56 flood-related deaths and more than 2 million displaced. Nationwide, monsoon flooding since late June has killed over 900 people.
The surges were triggered after India released excess water from its dams, swelling the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers, combined with relentless monsoon rains. The risk of further devastation looms as waters continue to move downstream toward southern Sindh province, where over 100,000 residents have already been relocated. Sindh was among the hardest-hit regions in the catastrophic 2022 floods, which killed more than 1,700 people nationwide.
Pakistan’s disaster authorities say only about 60,000 displaced individuals are in official relief camps, while most others have taken shelter with relatives or along embankments, waiting for floodwaters to recede. Rescue operations are ongoing with military helicopters conducting airlifts from remote areas.