• Govt considers breaching M-5 to save Jalalpur Pirwala from rising floods
• Aleem says motorway surrounded by floodwater on both sides
• Over 4.7m people affected, death toll rises to 119 in Punjab floods
• NDMA warns of more rains, thunderstorms across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab
KARACHI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Thursday that water levels at the Guddu and Sukkur barrages on the Indus River were showing a falling trend.
According to PMD data shared on X at around 4pm, the Guddu Barrage recorded an inflow of 485,185 cusecs and an outflow of 456,964 cusecs. At Sukkur Barrage, inflows stood at 547,505 cusecs with an outflow of 495,925 cusecs, compared to a high flood level recorded on Wednesday night.
While Indus levels ease, the Sutlej River continues to rise, threatening urban localities in Jalalpur Pirwala, Multan district. Thousands of residents from villages including Inayatpur, Dhundhowala, Noraja Bhutta, Bait Channa, Peeplan and Khan Bela have already been displaced.
Authorities have shifted people to camps established along Gillani Road as floodwaters submerge vast areas of Lodhran and Bahawalpur, forming a large lake between the Motorway and Gillani Road.
Officials confirmed the government is weighing a plan to breach the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5) to divert floodwaters and protect Jalalpur Pirwala.
“A section of 25-30 kilometres has already sustained partial damage and will take up to six months to rebuild,” a senior district official told Dawn on condition of anonymity. The official said water had surrounded the motorway on both sides and damaged the road at five to six points.
He said that a decision was taken at a high-level meeting to breach the motorway to give passage to Sutlej River water to enter the Chenab River near Jalalpur city.
Earlier, seven controlled breaches were carried out at Sutlej dykes to prevent floodwaters from entering Jalalpur Pirwala city, but these inundated kutcha areas in Multan, Lodhran and Bahawalpur districts.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan visited Jalalpur Pirwala and reviewed flood damage to Motorway M-5.
He directed officials to protect Jalalpur Pirwala city and ensured that public safety remained the government’s top priority. He said that floodwaters had spread up to 20 kilometres on both sides of the motorway.
Mr Aleem said that although creating controlled breaches in M-5 was a difficult decision, safeguarding the lives and property of citizens takes precedence.
The minister said the National Highway Authority was working in tandem with the Punjab government to protect Jalalpur Pirwala and would fully support all decisions taken by the provincial government.
He stressed the importance of building protective embankments and called upon the Irrigation Department and other institutions to fulfil their responsibilities to avert such disasters in the future.
Relief efforts and toll
Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed said the floods had so far affected more than 4.7 million people across 4,700 mouzas in the province. He said 329 relief camps, 425 medical camps and 367 veterinary camps were operational, with 2.6 million people and nearly 2.1m livestock evacuated to safety.
Mr Javed said the flood-related death toll had risen to 119 after another casualty was reported on Thursday.
River situation
A PDMA river flow report also confirmed on Thursday that the water level was rising in the Sutlej River at different points.
On the Chenab River, flows were stable with Marala Headworks reporting 51,154 cusecs, Khanki Headworks at 47,710 cusecs, Qadirabad Headworks at 49,943 cusecs and the Chiniot Bridge at 47,835 cusecs.
The Rivaz Bridge level was steady at 516.90 feet. At Trimmu Headworks, the flow was 79,767 cusecs and steady.
The water level at Head Muhammad Wala was last reported at 409 feet and was steady, though further readings were unattainable due to water levels dropping below the gauge.
Similarly, at Sher Shah Bridge, the level was steady at 387.50 feet, with subsequent measurements also unavailable for the same reason. The flow at Panjnad Headworks was steady at 140,742 cusecs.
On the Ravi River, conditions were similarly steady with a flow of 10,709 cusecs at Jassar, 9,899 cusecs at Ravi Syphon, and 9,613 cusecs at Shahdara. Balloki Headworks reported 26,985 cusecs, and Sidhnai Headworks was at 16,095 cusecs, both holding steady.
For the Sutlej River, flows remained stable at Ganda Singh Wala at 98,165 cusecs while rising at Sulemanki Headworks at 81,245 cusecs, Islam Headworks at 68,537 cusecs, and Mailsi Syphon at 62,554 cusecs.
Additionally, the Chachran Bridge gauge on the Indus River upstream of Guddu was steady at 296.4 feet, with the Guddu Barrage reporting a steady flow of 485,185 cusecs.
Rain forecast
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Thursday forecast rain and thunderstorms across much of the country over the next 48 hours.
In a post on X, the authority warned that over the next two days, “rain with thunder is expected in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujarat, Gujranwala and Lahore Division, with intermittent rain also likely in Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, Sargodha, Faisalabad and Zhob”.
“Due to rainfall in the upper regions of the rivers, there is a risk of increased flow in mountain streams,” the post added.
Imran Gabol in Lahore also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2025