Two million impacted as Pakistan's Punjab faces worst floods in its history

"Residents in eastern Punjab have also experienced abnormal amounts of rain, as well as cross-border flooding after India released water from swollen rivers and its overflowing dams into Pakistan's low-lying regions. This is the biggest flood in the history of the Punjab. The flood has affected two million people. It's the first time that the three rivers Sutlej, Chenab, and Ravi have carried such high levels of water, the senior minister for the province, Marriyum Aurangzeb, told a press conference on Sunday."

"In a former classroom in the region, now a makeshift relief camp, pregnant women have begun taking refuge from the floods. Shumaila Riaz, 19 years old and seven months pregnant with her first child, spent the past four days in the relief camp, enduring pregnancy cramps. I wanted to think about the child I am going to have, but now, I am not even certain about my own future, she told the AFP news agency."

Climate change and global warming have intensified monsoon rains in Pakistan, increasing the severity of seasonal flooding. Downpours and cloudbursts have caused flash floods and landslides across mountainous northern and northwestern regions. Eastern Punjab is experiencing the largest flood in its history, with the Sutlej, Chenab, and Ravi rivers reaching unprecedented levels and two million people affected. Cross-border releases of swollen Indian rivers and overflowing dams have worsened flooding in low-lying Pakistani areas. Local authorities have been evacuating residents and converting schools, police and security facilities into rescue camps. Displaced families are relying on boats and makeshift relief shelters, and vulnerable individuals face urgent humanitarian needs.

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