Half a Million Evacuated Amid Floods in Pakistan

Nearly half a million people have been evacuated from flood-prone areas along riverbanks in Pakistan’s Punjab province after days of heavy monsoon rains left at least 30 people dead, authorities confirmed on Saturday.

Punjab, home to almost half of Pakistan’s 255 million citizens, has been hit by severe rainfall that has inundated large parts of the province. More than 1.5 million people live in areas already flooded or at imminent risk of being submerged, according to the provincial government.

Officials reported that more than 480,000 residents and around 400,000 livestock were evacuated from over 2,300 villages, with rescue teams deploying boats to move people to safety.

The Punjab Disaster Management Authority, overseen by Irfan Ali Khan, described the ongoing response as the largest rescue operation in the province’s history.

Despite the deployment of over 800 boats and 1,300 emergency workers, casualties continue to rise, with 30 deaths recorded so far. Over 500 relief centers have been established, with many displaced families housed in schools closed for the summer holidays.

Lahore, the provincial capital with a population of 14 million, also witnessed heavy downpours on Saturday, causing severe flooding in several neighborhoods. Earlier in the week, three major rivers overflowed due to relentless rainfall.

The flooding follows a devastating spell in mid-August in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where more than 400 people died in landslides and mudslides triggered by torrential rains.

Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to extreme weather, with monsoon floods in 2022 submerging one-third of the country, killing 1,700 people and wiping out vast agricultural lands.