Summary Floodwaters inundate villages near Ferozewala after an embankment breach, leaving hundreds stranded and forcing families to flee their homes.
LAHORE (Web Desk) – Flooding has intensified in Ferozewala Tehsil and several villages along the Ravi River after an embankment on a seasonal stream breached, severing the main road link between Pathan Colony and Lahore's GT Road and leaving hundreds of families stranded.
According to local reports, residents have begun evacuating to safer areas as floodwaters continue to rise. At least three children have died in flood-related incidents in the affected areas.
Several feet of water have submerged Rachna Town, Rana Town, Pathan Colony, Kot Abdul Malik, Muradpur, Jamke Cheema and nearby localities around Kala Shah Kaku, disrupting daily life.
Residents said the flooding occurred after a protective embankment gave way or seasonal floodwater overflowed into populated areas, inundating multiple villages. Many families have moved women, children and elderly relatives to safer locations, while some men have remained behind to safeguard their homes and belongings.
Pathan Colony resident Muhammad Riaz said electricity had been unavailable for the past four days and water levels were continuing to rise. He said his family had relocated to relatives' homes while he stayed behind to protect household possessions from possible theft.
Another resident, Rasheedan Bibi, said most of her household belongings had been destroyed by floodwater, adding that her family's lifetime savings had been lost and that no government assistance had yet reached them.
Resident Abdul Rehman said floodwater entered homes suddenly during the night, forcing families to evacuate in haste while leaving much of their property behind.
In Rachna Town, Muhammad Saleem said water levels had remained unchanged for several days, bringing normal life to a standstill and creating shortages of food and safe drinking water.
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Rescue operations are being carried out by Rescue 1122, Alkhidmat Foundation and the welfare wing of Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, with volunteers using boats to evacuate women, children and elderly residents. Relief teams are also distributing cooked meals, dry rations, clean drinking water and other essential supplies.
A temporary relief and medical camp has also been established to provide free medicines, first aid, drinking water and meals. The organisation said nearly 2,000 people had so far been evacuated to safer locations.
Residents criticised authorities for failing to provide timely warnings despite official claims that drones were being used to monitor the flood situation. They argued that earlier cleaning of seasonal drains and removal of encroachments could have significantly reduced the damage.
Locals also complained that no senior government or administrative officials had visited the affected communities, saying relief efforts had largely been carried out by charitable organisations and rescue agencies.
With the Meteorological Department forecasting more monsoon rainfall, residents fear conditions could deteriorate further if another spell of heavy rain hits the already flooded areas.
