Even as floodwaters began to recede in parts of south Punjab, the scale of destruction remains staggering, nearly 2.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes and at least 101 lives have been lost, the Dawn reported.A province on the moveThe Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has called the ongoing evacuation and relief drive one of the largest in recent memory. More than 1,500 boats were deployed to rescue stranded families, with 12,427 people evacuated from villages along the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers.Multan, Muzaffargarh and Rahim Yar Khan districts bore the brunt of the floods. Entire villages were submerged — including the union council of Lati Mari in Alipur tehsil, home to 40,000 people.“Nearly 15,000 people from our basti had to leave on their own as water rose,” said Syed Kausar Shah, a local resident. “Homes and crops were destroyed, and people escaped on a hired boat. Some now live in relief camps, others under the open sky.” He added that two villagers drowned while attempting to flee.Relief in Jalalpur Pirwala, AlipurOfficials declared Jalalpur Pirwala and Alipur tehsils safe after a major flood wave passed through Head Panjnad. Multan Deputy Commissioner Waseem Hamid Sindhu confirmed that 100,000 people had been evacuated from Jalalpur Pirwala alone in three days.Breaches in Shujabad and Jalalpur Pirwala are now being filled, while helicopters and drones drop food and medicine into cut-off areas. Boats continue to ferry supplies into rural belts.Waters recede, but threat not overAt a press briefing in Bahawalpur, PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said Panjnad Headworks still faced a “high flood” but levels had dropped from 700,000 cusecs earlier this week to 575,000 cusecs on Saturday. By evening, the Flood Forecasting Division reported further decline to 492,695 cusecs.“There is no threat to Jalalpur Pirwala and Alipur cities,” Kathia assured, adding that water in Bahawalpur would also recede within 24 hours. He called the scale of evacuation “historic,” stressing that Multan could have faced forced evacuations if operations were delayed.Fields and cattle lostAccording to official data, 4,447 mouzas across 28 districts have been inundated. Alongside the mass displacement of people, more than 2.19 million cattle were rescued and shifted to higher ground.For now, the rivers appear to be calming, the Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala was recorded at 95,000 cusecs, categorised as medium flood. But for the millions already uprooted, the crisis has only just begun.
