• The government believes that M-5 violations are being made to save Jalalpur Pirwala from the rise of floods
•Aleem said highways surrounded by floods on both sides
•More than 4.7 million people were affected, and the death toll rose to 119 in Punjab
•NDMA warning or more rain, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punpu
Karachi: Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Thursday Water level Guddu and Sukkur barrage on the Indus are on the downward trend.
According to PMD data shared around 4 p.m. on X, the inflow of Guddu barrage is 485,185 Cuseecs and the outflow is 456,964-bit Cuseecs. In Sukkur Barrage, 495.925 Cuseecs flowed out in the Sukkur Barrage, while flooding was high recorded Wednesday night.
Despite the comfortable levels of the Indus River, the Sutlej River continues to rise, threatening the urban area of Jalalpur Pirwala in the Multan region. Thousands of residents from villages such as Inayatpur, Dhundhowala, Noraja Bhutta, Bait Channa, Peeplan and Khan Bela have been displaced.
Authorities transferred people to camps established on Gillani Road, as floods flooded vast areas of Lodhran and Bahawalpur and formed a large lake between the streets and Gillani Road.
Officials confirmed that the government is weighing a plan to divert floods and protect Jalalpur Pirwala in violation of the Multan-Sukkur highway (M-5).
A senior official told dawn Under anonymous conditions. The official said the water had surrounded the streets on both sides and damaged the roads by five to six points.
He said a decision was made at a high-level meeting that violated the streets to lead to the Sutlej river into the Chenab river near the city of Jalarpur.
Earlier, seven controlled violations were conducted in Sutlej Dykes to prevent flooding into the city of Jalalpur Pirwala, but these flooded the Kutcha area in Multan, Lodhran and Bahawalpur areas.
Meanwhile, Federal Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan visited Jalalpur Pirwala and reviewed flood losses on the expressway M-5.
He directed officials to protect the Jalalpur Pirwala City and ensure public safety remains the government’s priority. He said the flood spread to 20 kilometers on both sides of the street.
Mr Aleem said that even if it was a difficult decision to cause controlled violations in the M-5, protecting citizens’ lives and property should be given priority.
The minister said the National Highway Administration is working with the Punjab government to protect Jalalpur Pirwala and will fully support all decisions of the provincial government.
He stressed the importance of building protected areas and called on the irrigation sector and other agencies to fulfill their responsibilities to avoid such disasters in the future.
Relief work and losses
Punjab Relief Commissioner Naable Javed said that so far the impact of floods exceeded 4.7 million The province has 4,700 Mouzas people. He said there were 329 relief camps, 425 medical camps and 367 veterinary camps operating, with 2.6 million people and nearly 2.1 million livestock evacuated to safety.
Mr Javid said the flood-related death toll rose to 119 after another casualty was reported on Thursday.
River conditions
The PDMA River Flow Report also confirmed Thursday that at different locations, the Sutley River water levels are rising.
On the Chenab River, Marala Headworks has stable flow, reporting 51,154 Cuseecs, 47,710 Cuseecs for Khanki Headworks, Qadirabad Headworks at 49.943 Cuseecs and Chiniot Bridge at 47.835 Cuseecs.
The level of the Rivaz bridge is stable at 516.90 feet. On Trimmu No. 1, the traffic is 79,767 Cuseecs and is stable.
The water level at Muhammad Wala’s head was reported to be 409 feet, stable, although further readings were not available due to the drop below the water level.
Likewise, on the Sher Shah bridge, the level stabilized at 387.50 feet, and subsequent measurements were not possible for the same reason. Panjnad Headworks has 140,742 Cuseecs.
On the Ravi River, the stable conditions are similar, with 10,709 Cuseecs in Jassar, 9,899 Cuseecs in Ravi Siphon and 9,613 Cuseecs in Shahdara. Balloki Headworks reported 26,985 Cuseecs and Sidhnai number one at 16,095 Cuseecs, all remained stable.
For the Sutlej River, Ganda Singh Wala has remained stable in 98,165 Cuseecs while rising at Sulemanki Headworks at 81,245 Cuseecs, Cuseecs’ Islamic Awards work at 68.537, and Mailsi Siphon at 62.554 Cuseecs.
In addition, the Chachran bridge gauge in the upper Indus River upstream of Guddu is stable at 296.4 feet, with the Guddu barrage reporting a stable flow of 485,185 Cuseecs.
Rain prediction
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) predicted rainstorms and thunderstorms in most areas over the next 48 hours on Thursday.
In an article on X, authorities warned that in the next two days, “thunderstorms are expected in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujilanwara and Lahore divisions, while intermittent rainfall is also likely in Peshawar, kohat, bannu, bannu, sargodha, sargodha, sargodha, faisalabad and zhou and zhoub”.
The post added: “The flow of mountain streams increases due to rainfall in the upper part of the river.”
Imran Gabol of Lahore also contributed to this report
Posted in Dawn on September 19, 2025
