Web Desk; A child was killed and 18 others rescued after a Rescue 1122 evacuation boat capsized in Multan’s Jalalpur Pirwala, officials confirmed on Wednesday, as flooding continued to wreak havoc across Punjab and Sindh.
Multan City Police Officer Sadiq Ali Dogar informed journalists that the incident occurred during evacuation efforts in the Chenab River, where water flow at Head Punjnad had risen sharply, according to the Flood Forecasting Division.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited relief camps in Jalalpur Pirwala to meet flood victims. She assured them of government support and reiterated that compensation would be provided to families suffering losses.
At the national level, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to coordinate with Sindh authorities in response to severe flooding in Karachi and other districts.
Expressing sorrow over multiple drownings in Karachi’s Gadap stream, he instructed agencies to intensify search operations for missing persons and to scale up awareness campaigns to protect citizens from rising waters.
Meanwhile, water levels at Guddu Barrage surged to 502,844 cusecs upstream early Wednesday, crossing the “high flood” threshold.
Chief Engineer Sardar Shah said the barrage briefly released 10,000 cusecs into the Begar Sindh Feeder before levels began to ease. Despite the decline later in the day, irrigation officials warned of continued flood pressure downstream in the Indus. The Meteorological Department also forecast that Guddu would reach “very high flood” levels within 24 hours, with Sukkur expected to follow.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah visited Karachi’s Saadi Town, where inundated streets and submerged vehicles forced emergency drainage operations by the water board, Rescue 1122, and cantonment authorities.
Rescue teams, along with the Pakistan Army, evacuated over 350 people overnight from low-lying areas in Gadap, Malir, and Lyari. At least four people drowned in Gadap, with two bodies, including that of a woman, recovered so far.
A situation report by the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) painted a grim picture: over 4.2 million people and 1.58 million animals have been affected, while more than 4,400 villages across the province lie inundated.
Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed said 2.19 million people trapped by floods had been moved to safety, while 404 relief camps, 488 medical units, and 421 veterinary camps were established in disaster-hit districts. So far, 76 flood-related deaths have been reported.
The PDMA also issued warnings of heightened risk along the Sutlej as Indian reservoirs approached capacity. According to the Pakistan Commission on Indus Waters, Mangla Dam is currently 90 per cent full, Tarbela has reached maximum level, while India’s Pong and Thein dams stand at 99pc and 97pc respectively.
The Indian High Commission in Islamabad separately warned of high flood conditions at Harike and Ferozepur on the Sutlej River.
In Karachi, a third consecutive day of heavy downpours submerged several neighbourhoods. Though water was cleared from key routes including Shahrah-e-Faisal, the M-9 Motorway, and Lyari Expressway, residential areas such as Saadi Garden and Shafi Colony remained waterlogged.
The PMD said the monsoon system had now shifted westwards from Karachi, reducing the threat of further heavy rains in the metropolis, though cloudy and humid conditions are expected to persist with light showers possible.
