Punjab Grants Rs20,000/Acre Aid Amid Flood Warnings

The Punjab government has sanctioned financial assistance of Rs20,000 per acre to compensate farmers for crop losses, as the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued warnings of potential flooding due to heavy rains and an anticipated release of over 150,000 cusecs of water from India into the Chenab, Sutlej, and Ravi rivers within the next one to two days.

During a meeting in Multan to evaluate the status of cotton, rice, sugarcane, and other standing crops, Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo announced that approximately 2,000 teams are conducting surveys to assess flood-related damages. He noted that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had already approved the financial aid package for affected farmers.

Sahoo highlighted that a comprehensive action plan has been devised to meet the wheat sowing target, while also reporting progress in cotton production. According to Crop Reporting Service statistics, 2.65 million bales of seed cotton (phutti) have been harvested this year, compared to 1.846 million bales during the same period last year.

Concurrently, the National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued an alert for rainfall in Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan over the next 12 to 24 hours, particularly affecting the upper catchment areas of the Jhelum, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia, in a press briefing, cautioned that Pakistan is bracing for a weather shift, with rain expected in the coming days, potentially exacerbating flooding in Punjab. Light to heavy showers are forecast across districts from Rawalpindi to Lahore over the weekend, with rain expected in southern Punjab on Monday. Upper Punjab could see rainfall up to 100mm.