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ISLAMABAD: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Pakistan’s Punjab warned of high-level floods in the province’s Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers on Saturday night, as the death toll from deluges since late August surged to 50.

Heavy monsoon rains and excess water released by Indian dams have caused water levels in Punjab to rise and triggered floods in the province since late August, killing around 50. 

Punjab is also home to half of the country’s 240 million people and accounts for much of its wheat and rice production, creating food security concerns as initial estimates suggest 1.3 million acres of agricultural land have been inundated in the province amid the flooding of the three rivers. Nationwide, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 905 people have been killed in rain and flood-related incidents since the monsoon began on June 26. 

“Trimmu is sustaining a very high flood (465,000 cusecs), putting stress on District Jhang (18 Hazari, Athara Hazari belt, Ahmedpur Sial),” the PDMA’s report said on Saturday night. 

It said Panjnad, the confluence of five rivers in southern Punjab, is receiving 345,000 cusecs of water, which is slightly below its earlier peak level of 380,000 cusecs “but still in the high flood category.”

On river Ravi, the PDMA said Balloki was recording 157,065 cusecs of water at a very high level while the level at Sidhnai was recorded at 97,242 cusecs, which was also categorized as “very high.”

This rising water level was causing pressure on Sahiwal, Toba Tek Singh, Khanewal and Kabirwala areas, the report said, while Shahdara recorded water at 103,160 cusecs. 

Meanwhile at the Ganda Singh Wala village near river Sutlej, the PDMA said water flows remain in “exceptionally high flood” at 303,828 cusecs, impacting Kasur and its adjoining low-lying areas. 

It said the water level at Sulemanki was recorded at 137,232 cusecs, classifying it at a high flood level. 

Meanwhile, Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed said over 4,100 villages and more than 4.2 million people have been affected due to the floods since late August.

He said over 2 million people were rescued and shifted to safer places while 423 relief camps, over 500 medical camps and 432 veterinary camps have been set up in affected districts.

Javed said currently, the Mangla Dam is 80 percent full while the Tarbela Dam is at full capacity. 

He said in India, the Bhakra Dam is 90 percent full, the Pong Dam is 99 percent full while the Thein Dam is 97 percent full.

PESHAWAR: An explosion during a cricket match in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province killed one person on Saturday, police said, in an attack for which no group has so far claimed responsibility.

The blast struck the Kausar Lachi Cricket Ground in Bajaur’s Loi Sim area around 6:30 p.m., and initial investigations suggested it was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) planted in the ground.

It was not immediately clear whether the victim was the intended target.

“According to initial investigations, the device appears to have been planted in the ground,” Hunar Khan, a senior police officer, told Arab News over the phone.

He added that the remoteness of the area and poor communications had hampered the response.

Amjad Khan, a senior district official at Rescue1122, said his office received a call about the blast and dispatched a team to the site.

“Despite medical efforts, the victim was pronounced dead upon arrival at the medical facility,” he said, identifying the person killed as Fazalullah.

Police said a contingent had been deployed to secure the site and assess the situation.

Bajaur, a rugged district bordering Afghanistan, was once a stronghold of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The militant network has repeatedly targeted security forces, police and local residents in the area.

Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years, with officials in Islamabad accusing the Afghan Taliban of sheltering TTP militants and facilitating their cross-border attacks.

The Taliban regime in Kabul has repeatedly denied these claims, saying Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal matter.