Lahore: More rains are expected in the country and India is likely to release water into the rivers.
DG PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia said in a press conference that the weather is changing in the country, which is a sign of the onset of winter, and rains are expected in different areas of Punjab in a few days.
He said that light rain is likely in different districts of the province today, while more rains may occur from Rawalpindi to Lahore from October 5. Rain is also likely in southern Punjab tomorrow and up to 70 mm of rain may occur in the upper areas.
Irfan Ali Kathia said that 27 districts of Punjab have been affected by the recent floods, currently 20,000 cusecs of water is coming at Head Marala, while one lakh cusecs of water is expected to come from India in the next 48 hours.
Similarly, 23,000 cusecs of water is currently flowing at Marala, however, 900,000 cusecs of water has passed through here on August 26, so the current situation will not be much of a challenge.
According to the DG PDMA, the water level in Mangla Dam is also high, but a major flood situation is not expected in Jhelum, however, 50,000 cusecs of water is likely to come from India in Sutlej and 35,000 cusecs of water from Thane Dam in Ravi.
He said that a survey is underway in 27 flood-affected districts in which 11,500 people are participating. The survey teams include officers from the Pakistan Army, district administration and various departments, while 2,213 teams are continuing their activities.
In addition, real-time monitoring is also being done through an online dashboard and the survey will be completed in 69 tehsils by October 27.
DG Irfan Ali Kathia said that Bank of Punjab booths will be set up in all tehsils to provide maximum convenience to the victims. After receiving the card, the affected people will be able to withdraw Rs 50,000 immediately.
For the redressal of complaints, PDMA has formed a platform with PITB, which will provide a solution to the complaints within 7 days.
He further said that in 2010, 350,000, 38,196 in 2012, 359,000 in 2014, Rs 14 billion was given to 140,000 victims, while in 2022, Rs 10 billion was given to 56,000 victims. In the last 15 years, a total of Rs 51 billion has been distributed among the flood victims.
Irfan Ali Kathia said that the 2025 floods have proven to be more damaging than all the floods in recent history, causing major damage to homes, livestock, crops, and human lives