LAHORE: The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) announced on Friday that 60 per cent of the comprehensive survey to assess flood damage across the province has been completed.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia told a press conference that the survey was launched on Sept 25.

“We have to work until the survey of the last-affected family is done,” Kathia stated, acknowledging that survey teams are facing difficulties in the field. He confirmed that 2,855 mouzas (revenue estates) across 27 districts have been officially declared calamity-hit.

The preliminary data reveal the staggering scale of devastation. Over 1.059 million acres of land have been affected, with crops suffering immense damage. More than 400,000 acres of rice and over 35,000 acres of sugarcane have been destroyed. The survey also recorded damage to 100,000 houses, with 31pc of pucca (permanent) and 69pc of katcha (temporary) homes impacted. Furthermore, the floods have claimed 1,900 small animals so far.

On the relief front, the DG stated that a five-billion-rupee remission is being granted to farmers in the affected areas. Of the 373,000 individuals being processed, 150,000 have been verified, and bank accounts for 75,000 affected individuals have already been opened. To expedite financial aid, Bank of Punjab camps will be set up in 15 districts from Ravi to Alipur, as the survey has been fully completed in three districts.

Meanwhile, officials paid tribute to senior patwari Malik Umar Hayat, who was martyred in a road accident while doing survey duty in Kabirwala. The deceased, a resident of Khanewal district, had been dedicated to the survey for several days.

Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabil Javaid and Irfan Ali Kathia expressed profound grief and sorrow over his death.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2025