NAROWAL: Farmers in Sialkot’s Bajwat area are facing heavy losses as rapid land erosion along the Chenab River continues to wash away agricultural land and threatens nearby residential areas.

The erosion, triggered by last year’s heavy monsoon rains and flooding, has intensified as the Chenab continues to change its course. The river, which flows into Pakistan from India-administered Jammu and Kashmir, had inundated 85 villages in Sialkot tehsil’s Bajwat area during last year’s floods, damaging roads and bridges.

Now, villages including Khoje Chak and Gunabao are witnessing severe riverbank erosion. Large portions of farmland have already been hit by the river, while the erosion has reached within a few metres of residential areas, raising fears among local residents.

Local resident Syed Yasir Raza said nearly 500 metres of land had been eroded since last year’s floods. He claimed that hundreds of acres of fertile agricultural land had disappeared into the Chenab, leaving farmers devastated.

Farmers Muhammad Waris and Muhammad Azeem said they had repeatedly approached the assistant commissioner and deputy commissioner of Sialkot over the past eight months, urging authorities to take preventive measures. However, they alleged that the district administration and other relevant departments had failed to respond.

They said residents had placed hundreds of sandbags along the riverbank on their own in an attempt to slow the erosion, but their efforts had proved unsuccessful.

According to the farmers, the recent spell of heavy rains has further raised the river’s water level, accelerating the erosion.

An official of the Head Marala Irrigation Department said the Chenab’s water level has been fluctuating due to heavy rainfall and inflows from India. He said the river’s discharge had risen from 35,000 cusecs to 73,000 cusecs before receding to around 61,000 cusecs.

Another resident, Ali Raza, said heavy rainfall in India-held Kashmir and water releases from upstream reservoirs had worsened the erosion. He criticised the district administration, alleging that officials had limited their response to photo shoots while residents continued to suffer.

He warned that unless immediate measures are taken to control the erosion, nearby communities could face losses of life and property.

Deputy Commissioner Sialkot Saba Asghar Ali was contacted for comment but did not respond. Residents and farmers have urged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take immediate notice of the situation and order urgent measures to prevent further land erosion.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2026