More boats and relief equipment have been provided for flood rescue operations in six cities of South Punjab.
The relevant authorities have deployed 119 boat operators for rescue operations in Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Lodhran.
Punjab Chief Minister was informed in a briefing that 108 traditional and 109 rubber boats had been provided along with 1,130 life jackets for rescue operations in the flood-hit areas of Multan. In addition, 57 wooden and 53 rubber boats with 683 life jackets have been provided for Muzaffargarh.
Officials said 47 normal and 44 rubber boats with 519 life jackets had reached Rahim Yar Khan; 38 wooden and 40 rubber boats with 519 life jackets had been sent to Bahawalpur, and 37 boats, including rubber vessels and 546 life jackets had been dispatched to Lodhran for rescue operations in the flood-affected areas.
While water levels have begun to recede significantly in some areas of south Punjab, with the Jalalpur Pirwala and Alipur tehsils of Multan declared safe after a major flood wave passed through Head Panjnad, officials said evacuation and relief efforts continued from low-lying areas along the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers.
As many as 12,427 people were evacuated from low-lying areas along the three rivers in what authorities claimed one of the largest operations in recent history, involving a fleet of 1,517 rescue boats.
According to Punjab Rescue spokesperson Farooq Ahmed, the districts of Multan, Muzaffargarh and Rahim Yar Khan were among the hardest hit, with 3,274, 2,392 and 414 people rescued, respectively.
Officials confirmed that water levels have begun to recede significantly in some areas. The government declared the tehsils of Jalalpur Pirwala and Alipur safe after a major flood wave passed through Head Panjnad, where water flow dropped dramatically from 684,000 cusecs on Friday night to 492,695 cusecs by Saturday evening, a decrease of nearly 200,000 cusecs in 24 hours.
