Pakistan announced on Wednesday the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from regions flooded in the eastern Punjab province over the past three weeks.
Rescue operations were expanded last week when the Sutlej River overflowed, inundating several areas. Most of the evacuations were reported in the Bahawalpur and Kasur districts of Punjab.
Evacuations began on a small scale in July after India diverted water from dams into the Ravi River, which flows from India into Pakistan. Subsequently, rainfall later flooded the Sutlej River, prompting authorities to evacuate residents living nearby.
The National Disaster Management Authority stated that the water level in the Ravi River is currently normal, but the Sutlej River is expected to rise further this week. Pakistani authorities are still struggling to cope with the damage caused by last summer's massive floods, which affected 33 million people, resulted in 1,739 deaths, and caused economic losses estimated at $30 billion.
