Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik has announced ‘urgent’ relief measures including distribution of food, clean drinking water, water tanks, medicines, mosquito nets, and temporary electricity supplies, to flood-hit communities, as the government confirmed that around two million people have been displaced across Pakistan due to continuous rain and devastating floods.
Flanked by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Inam Haider Malik, the climate minister urged the nation to stand with the poor. “If there is any NGO in your area or if you personally can help a displaced family, please do so,” he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. “Our foremost priority is the poorest 40 percent who do not have wealthy relatives to rely on and are in dire need of aid,” he said, adding that the government institutions were on ‘high’ alert to control spread of epidemics in crowded makeshift camps.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, despite being abroad, was receiving daily briefings and issuing guidance on relief operations, he said, adding that the same reports were shared with Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal General Asim Munir who is also supervising the situation on the ground. To a question, he said that the federal government was standing shoulder to shoulder with the provinces, and NDMA, PDMA, Rescue 1122, and other institutions were all working together in all flood-hit areas. He said that that no one can stop a natural disaster, but the government was making every effort to mitigate its damage.
To a question, the minister noted that early simulations and community evacuation drills conducted over the past six months have helped reduce the loss of human life compared to previous disasters, even as property, crops, and livelihoods have been destroyed. Floodwaters remain a major threat at Head Trimmu, Head Panjnad, and Kot Mithan, where rivers converge. The authorities are working to keep water flows below one million cusecs but are preparing for higher surges. To another question, he said that the ‘controlled’ breaches in uninhabited areas were planned to protect larger populations from disaster.
Musadik Malik pointed to Punjab’s geography, where five rivers converge, as a challenge, warning that the Panjnad system could face flows as high as three million cusecs if conditions worsen. Beyond the immediate disaster, he underscored that Pakistan’s plight highlights the global climate crisis. “What we are calling climate change is a reality. Rising temperatures are melting glaciers, and this melting is causing disasters such as flash floods and blockages,” he said. He told a questioner that Pakistan contributes less than one percent of global carbon emissions, yet bears brunt of the consequences.
Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that a ‘comprehensive’ strategy was being prepared for the construction of water reservoirs and improved water management in all four provinces, Azad Jammu Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. He stated that water reservoirs would be built through consultation and complete coordination with all the stakeholders. “Climate change is a reality, and we can minimize damages of natural disasters only through effective preparedness,” he said. Once the emergency situation subsides, the prime minister will convene a high-level meeting with all the chief ministers, along with heads of relevant institutions.
Charing a meeting in Lahore, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that proper facilities must be ensured for flood-hit populations and that people should be treated with care and respect. She instructed that the tent villages with proper sanitation facilities should be established, and school buildings can be used for relief, ensuring separate arrangements for men and women. She urged rescuers to continue their service and directed authorities to release funds for relief and rescue operations. She instructed officials to address fodder shortages for livestock and restore public communication systems by installing pumps for dewatering once the water recedes.
She said that the Safe City cameras were operational in 22 districts, but requested drone footage for cities along riverbanks. She stressed the need to evacuate populations from weak or dilapidated buildings, recover animals swept away in floods, and set up a special cell to manage lost and recovered livestock. She congratulated officers and youth volunteers for rescuing children and directed police to ensure security of homes left vacant due to evacuations. He directed provincial lawmakers to stay engaged with the affected population. She said that the recent flood was the most severe the province had faced in decades.
According to an alert issued by the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC), the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned that a fresh spell of heavy rainfall is likely to intensify the already critical flood situation across northeastern, central, and southern Punjab. It said that multiple districts in Punjab were expected to be impacted by the upcoming downpours. Besides Islamabad, it said that Murree, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala and Hafizabad face a risk of flooding from intense downpours.
Flood conditions could also worsen in Chiniot, Lahore, Sialkot, Narowal, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Layyah, Mianwali, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan. The authorities cautioned that heavy rainfall in the upper areas and an increased flow in rivers may cause flood surges at Marala Headworks, raising the risk of inundation in adjoining regions. Residents of low-lying areas and those living near streams have been advised to remain alert, avoid unnecessary travel, and stay away from flood-prone zones.
Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has reported that the water level in the Sutlej River is receding at Kasur, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, and Vehari, and is expected to decline to 135,000 cusecs. According to official figures, at least 33 people have lost their lives, more than two million residents have been affected, and around 2,200 villages have been submerged under floodwaters. The disaster management authority called on the public and institutions concerned to implement precautionary measures and ensure safety protocols are in place to minimize potential damage.
