SAHIWAL: The raging floodwaters from swelling Ravi and Sutlej rivers have so far submerged approximately 70,000 acres of land—both agricultural and non-agricultural — across the Sahiwal division.

According to sources in the agriculture department, the floodwaters from the two rivers flooded an estimated 1,000 acres in Sahiwal district, 13,000 acres in Pakpattan district, and 50,000 acres in Okara district.

Responding to queries, Shahbaz Akhter, Director of Agriculture, stated that the division’s major cash crops — cotton, maize, rice, and sesame — had been cultivated on 84,000, 165,000, 908,000, and 106,000 acres, respectively, in the division. He added that most of the crop damage was done by the floodwaters in the areas along the two rivers.

He said that currently, the exact volume of the damage done to these crops by the floodwaters could not be assessed.

Parts of Basirpur, Hujra, Pakpattan, Arifwala, and Minchinabad come under water

“The administration’s immediate priority is the evacuation of the flood-affected families and livestock. The crop damage assessments will follow once the floodwaters recede,” a departmental source told Dawn.

Meanwhile, Pakpattan Deputy Commissioner Asif Raza confirmed that floodwaters from the river Sutlej have entered 50 more villages in the district.

According to local sources, a 60–65km-long stretch along the Sutlej banks has been submerged by floodwaters, affecting large areas of Basirpur, Hujra Shah Muqeem, Pakpattan, Arifwala, and Minchinabad tehsils.

As per irrigation officials, at Ganda Singh headworks, the water discharge reached 345,000 cusecs on Friday, nearing the record levels of the 1988 flood. The irrigation department fears that the water flow may rise to 400,000–500,000 cusecs within the next 24 hours, which may cause further devastation in villages, damaging crops and settlements.

Provincial Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani visited the flood-hit Pir Ghani area near the river Sutlej, along withSahiwal Commissioner Asif Tufail, and other officials, in Pakpattan district.

The families displaced by floodwaters have voiced concerns over food shortages and the lack of fodder for their livestock.

There are reports that the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) has partially turned off branch lines of several feeders in the flood-hit areas of Pakpattan district due to high water levels.

Mepco Sahiwal Superintendent Engineer (SE) Nasir Mahmood says 15 branch lines attached to feeders, including at Qabola, Arifwala, Pakpattan-II and Mehdi Khan, have been turned off for safety reasons.

According to Rescue 1122, its boats transported the body and relatives of a minor girl, who died of natural causes, to a graveyard for burial as their houses were submerged in floodwaters.

In Sahiwal district, floodwaters entered 25 villages and over two dozen settlements (bastis).

As per officials, the administration has evacuated more than 120 villages, located on the left bank of the Ravi, in the past 24 hours.

They say that Rescue 1122 evacuated 1,200 residents and over 1,300 animals by Friday afternoon, adding that 12 additional flood relief camps have been established along the river. Meanwhile, severe land erosion has been reported in Tukra 18C/7-R and Murad Kay Dalu villages, where several houses collapsed into the river due to high water current. The residents of these villages seek urgent relief and shelter.

Sahiwal DC Shahid Mahmood says that the Aurangabad embankment near Chichawatni developed a breach on Thursday night. He says that efforts are on to plug the breach and around 200 trolleys of earth have been deployed to reinforce the embankment.

Local sources say that the residents of Moza Arahtullah have also sought sandbags to strengthen the embankment to prevent floodwaters from entering their village.

In the Okara district, nearly 100 villages have been impacted by the floodwater, with Rescue 1122 evacuating 5,000 people from the banks of the river Sutlej. Some 54 villages were also evacuated along the Ravi banks.

Reports indicate that a 40km-long stretch, along both banks of the Ravi — from Jehdu village to Mari Pattan Bridge — is fully submerged.

As per officials, the water level in the Ravi at Okara has reached 225,000 cusecs.

They apprehend a further rise in the water level in the Ravi and Sutlej rivers over the next 24 hours.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2025