South region remains vigilant as floodwaters flowing from Punjab threaten the safety of roughly 1.6 million residents in Sindh.

Flood Threat Looms Over Southern Pakistan: Sindh Government Takes Urgent Measures

Extreme flooding is expected to hit downstream Sindh in the coming days, with flood waves of 900,000 to 1.2 million cusecs predicted by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). In response, the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, has convened an emergency meeting to discuss the situation and prepare for the impending disaster.

The deluge in Pakistan is fueled by record monsoon rains and excess water released from upstream India. The trans-boundary Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers have submerged about 2,300 villages in the country's most populous Punjab province, with the disaster now threatening southern Pakistan.

According to the Sindh Information Minister, the provincial government is fully mobilized to deal with the impact of floods. A provincial Rain and Flood Emergency Monitoring Cell has been set up to monitor the flood situation in Sindh, and the Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has been directed to deploy rescue boats and establish over 500 relief camps.

The Sindh Chief Minister has emphasized that no human or animal life should be lost in case of a major flood wave. To this end, 192 rescue boats and mobile health units have already been deployed in Sindh, and 300 camps have been set up for livestock.

The current spell of floods is expected to last until at least Sept. 10 and may rival the 2022 floods in terms of impact. As many as 1.6 million people and over 1,600 villages are at risk, with an estimated 273,000 families potentially affected in Sindh alone.

Aid organizations like Welthungerhilfe are actively providing anticipatory assistance, including evacuations, distribution of food packages, hygiene items, and materials for emergency shelters, to mitigate the disaster impact. Other organizations such as Aktion gegen den Hunger are involved in nationwide relief efforts, and they are mobilizing significant resources to address the urgent humanitarian needs caused by the historic monsoon floods in Pakistan.

All relevant departments in Sindh have been instructed to stay vigilant. Floodwaters are expected to enter Sindh province on the night of September 2 or 3. Since June 26, 830 people have been killed and 1,121 injured during the monsoon season, with at least 30 people killed due to the floods in Punjab province since Monday.

Pakistani officials have warned that the flood threat could intensify in the coming days. The people of Sindh and the rest of southern Pakistan are bracing themselves for the impact of the floods, with the government and aid organizations working tirelessly to prepare for and respond to the disaster.

South region remains vigilant as floodwaters flowing from Punjab threaten the safety of roughly 1.6 million residents in Sindh.