Over 120,000 Evacuated in Central Pakistan as Floods Displace Millions

📷AP

Jalalpur Pirwala, Pakistan, September 9, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Rescuers backed by the military evacuated nearly 100,000 people overnight from the flood-hit city of Jalalpur Pirwala in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, where survivors described enduring scorching heat in tents and open areas after floodwaters submerged homes and farmland, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

In the past 24 hours, more than 122,000 people were moved from Jalalpur Pirwala, according to Irfan Ali Kathia, director general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority. Many evacuees sought shelter with relatives, while others stayed in relief camps.

Flooding, triggered by weeks of monsoon rains, cloudbursts, and water releases from dams in neighboring India, has displaced 2.2 million people across Punjab since last month. Authorities said 3,900 villages in 26 districts have been submerged since August 23.

At least 61 people have died in flood-related incidents over the past month. Multan, another key city in Punjab, remains at risk as river levels continue to rise. Officials are preparing controlled breaches of embankments to divert floodwaters into rural areas to protect urban centers.

Kathia said timely evacuations saved lives, though some residents refused to leave until water reached their villages. Authorities used thermal imaging drones to locate survivors.

Displaced residents recounted severe hardship. Zarini Bibi, 45, said she fled her flooded village by boat with her children: “My home, which was my dream and my heaven, is now under water. I barely escaped with my children, and everything we owned has been destroyed.”

Another resident, Tariq Ullah, said he was forced to live in a roadside tent after relatives refused to host his family: “Thank God our lives were saved. A house can be rebuilt, but life is given only once.”

Nationwide, monsoon flooding since late June has killed more than 900 people, according to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority. Nearly 80,000 people are now in relief camps across Punjab, while evacuations have also taken place in Sindh province, where over 100,000 people were relocated last week.

Sindh was among the worst-hit regions during the catastrophic 2022 floods, which killed 1,739 people across Pakistan.