Catastrophic flooding in Pakistan has affected 1.5 million people, with more than 850 deaths reported this monsoon season, as swollen rivers devastate villages and force mass displacement.

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority reported on Sunday that severe flooding has struck thousands of villages in the northeast, impacting 1.5 million people.

Torrential rain combined with India’s release of excess dam water caused the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers to overflow, flooding more than 1,400 villages in Punjab, including parts of Lahore.

Across Punjab, families are struggling to recover after unprecedented flooding submerged villages, homes, and farmland.

Muhammad Amjad, a rice and potato farmer in Chiniot, said, "Thirteen of my 15 acres are gone. Our rice is completely destroyed. Women and children have evacuated. Men are left guarding what remains."

Thousands of homes have been destroyed, and displaced families are sheltering in temporary camps.

The floods compound economic pressures in a country where inflation had recently eased. Analysts say delayed wheat sowing, reduced rice exports, and the need to import cotton could worsen food prices.

Copied