Floods in Pakistan’s Punjab have impacted many villages, and with that, over 1.3 million acres of farmland have been submerged in water. It has caused significant damage to the kharif crops, which are typically harvested around October or November. According to reports, the cotton crop has been severely hit by the floods. This has impacted farmlands cultivatingrice, sugarcane, corn, and vegetables, which has further prompted fears of food inflation.Rivers Chenab, Sutlej, and Ravi are flowing over danger levels, becoming the major cause of waterlogging and floods in the country.
Over two million people and 2,000 villages have been facing the wrath of torrential rain, and this has triggered the relocation of over760,000 residents and 516,000 herds of cattle, as published by the news outlet Dawn. The Met Department also posted a warning on X, it read: ‘Rains persist across Pakistan as another intense monsoon system is expected to bring exceptional downpours in the Southern parts during the next two days.’
Infrastructure and agricultural lands in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also been severely damaged. Hundreds of houses and roads have been rendered useless amid the raging floods. Livestock have been washed away, causing huge damage to people belonging to the region. With the immense damage that is already distressing, there is a bigger risk of water-borne diseases. An outbreak of a disease could make the situation worse than it already is. Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had called for a meeting to take stock of the situation.
On Monday (September 8), Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif also directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to ensure the safety of people in affected regions as the water levels continue to rise amid rescue operations.