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lipur, 95 kilometres from Muzaffargarh, now looks less like a town and more like a lake. On both sides of the broken road, there is nothing but water. Families are scattered across embankments—some under open skies, some in fragile tents. Many hold their national ID cards in plastic bags—the one possession they thought worth saving, believing it might later serve as proof of identity, and eligibility for help.
Among them sits Shaheen, holding her six-month-old daughter in her arms. She waits patiently for a boat to Seetpur, 17 kilometres away, where the floodwaters have swallowed the road in recent days. “There is no man to accompany me. Whatever I need to do, I will have to do on my own,” she says.
Not far from her, families from Ghouspur village sit together. Children sit quietly beside their mothers, their eyes filled with longing as they wait for tents, food and clean water. Before them lies an endless expanse of water. A few kilometres further, a police official says, “The road to Seetpur has been damaged for more than a week. You cannot reach it without a boat.”
Alipur has been declared a calamity-hit area. The extent of destruction looks far greater than the figures provided by the local government.
According to the latest data from the South Punjab Civil Secretariat, over 1.6 million people have been impacted. About 1.482 million individuals have been relocated to safer locations. More than 1.11 million acres of land has been submerged, with crops over around 1.188 million acres destroyed. Nearly 1.5 million cattle have been moved to safer areas. There have been 32 confirmed deaths. The administration realises that as the waters recede, particularly in Jalalpur Pirwala and Alipur, the death toll could rise.
Farooq Ahmed, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson, says that the districts hit the hardest include Multan, Muzaffargarh and Rahim Yar Khan. In Multan, 3,274 people were rescued; in Muzaffargarh, 2,392; and in Rahim Yar Khan, 414.
The situation in the Muzaffargarh district is alarming. According to the district administration, 161 villages have been flooded, affecting an area of 209,378 acres. In Alipur tehsil alone, 40 villages have been submerged. Overall, nearly 395,000 people have been directly impacted by this disaster.
Superintending Engineer Hafiz Abdul Rehman from the Muzaffargarh Canal Circle explains the reasons behind the devastation in Alipur. “Typically, floods feature one surge. This year, we experienced two peaks in quick succession, just a week apart. The intensity of the flooding was similar to 2014, but the water levels this time were significantly higher,” he says.
The difference at Head Panjnad, he says, was striking. In 2014, the peak downstream flow had reached 400,000 cusecs. This year, the first peak hit 600,000 cusecs, followed by a second peak of 700,000 cusecs. “In 2014, Ravi and Sutlej Rivers did not contribute much water. This time, all three rivers, Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab, combined to create an unprecedented flood,” he says.
In the Indus River, flows surged to 250,000 cusecs this year. “While the overall magnitude of the flood may appear similar, the water level was significantly higher.”
Rehman says that protective infrastructure could have mitigated the damage. An embankment in Azmatpur was proposed after the 2014 floods and again, in 2016, but local resistance and High Court orders hindered its construction.
Much of the relief efforts are being carried out by citizens, supported by some NGOs and the Rescue 1122. Rehan Khan, a resident of Alipur, accompanied by a team of volunteers, has been delivering food to the survivors for over a week now.
“Many people stayed behind to protect their homes while sending their families away. I met people who hadn’t eaten for five or six days,” he says.
Imran Abbas, a Rescue 1122 officer, shares his experience on the same rescue boat. “I have been here for a week after having worked in other districts since August 26. Alipur is the toughest place I have encountered,” he says. “The main issue after the evacuations is the lack of safe drinking water,” he says.
“I have personally rescued 300 people.”
After several hours on the boat, covering submerged houses and finding people to deliver food to, there was Latti Maari where a large number of people awaited supplies.
Muhammad Tanveer, a 17-year-old resident, had stayed behind while his family was evacuated. “The women and children left, but we chose to stay and protect what was left of our homes. I lost three cattle; and three rooms of my house collapsed.”
Mustafa, another resident, says that he had been surrounded by water for over a week with just a single chador on his body. “God will make things better,” he says. His six-room house has only three rooms standing now. He insists on staying to protect what little remains, fearing theft. “Men in private boats come and steal from the abandoned houses.”
Sub-inspector Waseem Khan, the Muzaffargarh police public relations officer, says that no theft complaints have been filed. “Our officers are conducting daily boat patrols,” he says adding that, “We didn’t anticipate this situation in Alipur.”
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif visited the affected area and Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb stayed around while rescue operations were under way in the flood-affected Alipur. The Pakistan Army, Navy, Rescue 1122, police and local administration are all involved in what officials are describing as a major rescue operation.
Officials warn that the true extent of the damage and loss of life will only become clear in the days ahead after the floodwaters recede. Authorities do not see a threat of further flooding. Rescue 1122 teams are already transporting some families by boat to their homes so that they can inspect the damage. However, road access to Seetpur and nearby villages remains cut off. Meanwhile, health risks are rising for displaced families living in tents and open areas.
The writer is a freelance multimedia journalist in Multan.