Around 200 to 300 people remained stranded in Kartarpur Corridor on Wednesday morning. The armed forces were called in to assist with rescue efforts.
Visuals from the area showed Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal District completely submerged after the Ravi River overflowed its banks.
Officials from the Evacuee Trust Property Board confirmed that floodwater had entered the compound, with levels in some sections of the shrine reaching nearly three feet. The inundation drowned the gurdwara’s courtyard and main staircase, forcing pilgrims to a standstill.
Authorities said visits would resume only after drainage and cleanup operations are completed.
Relief and rescue efforts
The Pakistan Army has been engaged in flood relief operations across six districts of Punjab since last night, state-run PTV reported. Other disaster management bodies including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Rescue 112 are also responding to the crisis.
Rescue and relief efforts are underway in Lahore, Faisalabad, Okara, Kasur, Sialkot and Narowal, where several villages and towns, including Kasur and Ganda Singh Wala along the Sutlej River, are submerged in floodwater.
Troops have been transporting flood-affected people to safer locations using boats. Children, women and elderly residents are among those relocated, with soldiers also ensuring the safe transfer of victims’ belongings and livestock.
Relief camps have been established jointly by the Pakistan Army and the district administration to accommodate the displaced population.
At least 32,589 people have been evacuated from flood-prone areas across Punjab as authorities reported critically high water levels in major rivers and reservoirs, triggering large-scale rescue and relief operations, Rescue 112 officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Thousands were relocated from vulnerable areas along the Indus, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Jhelum rivers, said officials.
By noon on Wednesday, another 987 people had been evacuated. These included 719 from Nankana Sahib, 124 from Hafizabad, 103 from Narowal, 27 from Gujrat and 14 from Gujranwala.
On Tuesday alone, 5,970 people were shifted, including 2,275 from Kasur, 914 from Okara, 846 from Pakpattan, 785 from Bahawalpur, 323 from Vehari, 270 from Bahawalnagar, 259 from Narowal, 74 from Hafizabad, 27 from Lodhran and 15 from Chiniot.
Rescue officials said 436 boats were in active operation, with 74 in Kasur, 28 in Okara, 16 in Pakpattan, 18 in Bahawalnagar, 20 in Vehari, 15 in Bahawalpur, 18 in Sialkot, 14 in Narowal, 16 in Gujrat, 15 in Mandi Bahauddin and 19 in Hafizabad. Another 400 boats with trained staff were kept on standby.
Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar announced that his department has been on high alert under directives from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Evacuations are underway in Lahore, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib, while relief camps were established to provide food, clean water and medicines, he said.
