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**Summary:**
Record-breaking monsoon rains, exacerbated by climate change, are causing catastrophic flooding in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Millions are affected, with overflowing rivers inundating farmland and forcing mass evacuations. Pregnant women and vulnerable populations are seeking refuge in overcrowded relief camps. The situation is compounded by India’s release of water from overflowing dams, prompting data collection by Pakistan. The flooding threatens Pakistan’s vital agricultural sector and raises concerns about food shortages.
**News Article:**
**Climate Change Fuels Historic Flooding in Pakistan’s Punjab, Millions Displaced**
**Lahore, Pakistan** – Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province is grappling with its worst flooding in recorded history, as intense monsoon rains, intensified by climate change, have caused rivers to surge to unprecedented levels. A senior official reports that more than two million people have been affected.
The deluge, impacting the Sutlej, Chenab, and Ravi rivers, has submerged vast swathes of farmland, forcing mass evacuations. Pakistani television has broadcast images of residents fleeing their homes in boats, salvaging what they can from the rising waters.
“This is the biggest flood in the history of the Punjab,” stated Marriyum Aurangzeb, senior minister for the province, during a press conference on Sunday.
The crisis is particularly dire for vulnerable populations. Makeshift relief camps, like one former classroom now housing over 2,000 people, are overcrowded and unsanitary. One pregnant woman, Shumaila Riaz, expressed fears about her future and her unborn child amidst the chaos.
A recent study attributes the extreme rainfall to global warming, highlighting Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change. The country is also dealing with cross-border flooding as India released water from its dams, leading Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry to investigate the circumstances surrounding India’s action. It is important to note that India alerted Pakistan to the possibility of cross-border flooding last week.
Authorities in Multan have taken the extraordinary step of placing explosives at key embankments to divert water away from the city in anticipation of a massive wave from the Chenab River.
The flooding poses a significant threat to Pakistan’s agricultural sector, particularly wheat production, raising fears of food shortages, echoing the devastation caused by ferocious floods in 2022.