Published on, Aug. 28 -- August 28, 2025 2:02 AM

Punjab today confronts a humanitarian calamity of staggering proportions. Since late June, official figures confirm that more than 800 lives have been lost to the monsoon's fury across Pakistan. In Punjab alone, over 210,000 people have been evacuated as the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers swelled to historic levels.

Sudden upstream discharges, unleashed with little regard for downstream impact, have compounded the crisis, releasing volumes equal to years of rainfall within hours. Punjab's plight is not of its own making. It stems from its downstream geography, fragile embankments, and the absence of effective regional coordination on water flows.

The national response has been swift. Civ...