The Pakistan Red Crescent Society implements anticipatory actions for floods along the Indus River and its tributaries
The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has implemented a series of anticipatory actions, based on its forthcoming early action protocol (EAP) for riverine floods, along the Indus River and its major tributaries. The actions are being implemented with funds from the German Red Cross and the German Federal Foreign Office.
Pakistan is experiencing a severe monsoon season. Continuous heavy rains since late June – 73 per cent above average – have already affected the lives of millions of people in many parts of the country. Altogether, 892 people have lost their lives, with flash floods and cloudbursts causing 489 fatalities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone. Nationwide, more than 9,400 houses require repair or reconstruction, while infrastructure and supply chains have also been disrupted.
The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department issued a warning for torrential rainfall for Punjab province from 23 to 27 August 2025, in the Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi and Sutlej catchments. At the same time as this rainfall occurred, water was released from India into the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers, which further raised the flood levels. The result was exceptionally high water levels in the Chenab River, in Khanki and Qadirabad, Punjab.
Trigger thresholds for acting ahead of the flood's peak
The Indus River and its major tributaries are divided into three stretches and six sections in the forthcoming EAP for riverine floods. Based on the forecasts, anticipatory actions were activated along the Chenab River from Trimmu to Panjnad (section 4 in the EAP) on 29 August 2025, and along the Indus River from Panjnad to Guddu (section 5) on 31 August. This was based on the following trigger thresholds.
(i) Section 4: The trigger will be reached when Bulletin B (i.e., quantitative flood forecasts from the FFD) predicts high flood inflows of the Chenab River at Trimmu (i.e., 300,000 cusecs or above) in the next 24 hours.
(ii) Section 5: The trigger will be reached when any of the following criteria are met:
- Bulletin B predicts high flood inflows of above 550,000 cusecs in Taunsa, or the quantitative flood forecast from the FFD predicts high flood inflows (of above 550,000 cusecs) in the Indus River at Taunsa in the next 24 hours
- Bulletin B predicts high flood inflows of above 300,000 cusecs in Chenab inflows of above 300,000 cusecs in high flood inflows in Chenab at Trimmu or Punjnad in the next 24 hours.
The PRCS trained community disaster response teams during the evacuation process. © PRCS
PRCS volunteers support evacuations in Tehsil Muzaffargarh, Rangpur. © PRCS
Supporting evacuations in Tehsil Muzaffargarh, Rangpur. © PRCS
The PRCS establishes its camp for volunteers near the evacuation site in Tehsil Jilalpur Pirwala, Multan District. © PRCS
The evacaution site established by the Provincial and District Disaster Management Authority in Tehsil Jilalpur Pirwala, Multan District. © PRCS
The PRCS trained community disaster response teams during the evacuation process. © PRCS
PRCS volunteers support evacuations in Tehsil Muzaffargarh, Rangpur. © PRCS
Supporting evacuations in Tehsil Muzaffargarh, Rangpur. © PRCS
The PRCS establishes its camp for volunteers near the evacuation site in Tehsil Jilalpur Pirwala, Multan District. © PRCS
The evacaution site established by the Provincial and District Disaster Management Authority in Tehsil Jilalpur Pirwala, Multan District. © PRCS
Actions to mitigate the flood's expected impacts
The actions carried out aimed to mitigate the expected impacts of the floods, including the loss of lives, livelihoods, livestock and crops, and damage to housing and other critical infrastructure.
Between the trigger levels being reached and 1 September, PRCS volunteers conducted a series of anticipatory actions in the high-risk Tehsils of Jalalpur Pirwala and Muzaffargarh in Punjab province (section 4 in the EAP). They reached 49,510 with early warning messages and provided evacuation support to 18,697 people.
In the high-risk Tehsils of Alipur and Liaqatpur, also in Punjab (section 5), PRCS volunteers reached 36,148 people through early warning messages and provided evacuation support to 7,364 people; these actions took place before 5 September. The third action outlined in the forthcoming EAP – multipurpose cash for evacuation and subsistence – could not be implemented due to insufficient readiness time.
Alongside these actions, the government of Pakistan established 17 evacuation camps in the affected areas. With support from the PRCS, 8,141 people could be evacuated to these, while 2,560 people were able to stay with families or in other, self-organized places.
The PRCS is now monitoring the trigger levels for section 6 in its EAP, which covers the stretch of the Indus River from Guddu to Kotri in Sindh province. It is ready to implement anticipatory actions here, if the trigger is reached.
As the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, we activated early actions ahead of an anticipated flood. Our staff and volunteers are already on the ground, disseminating early warnings and supporting evacuation efforts in an effort to reduce the impacts.
We received early warning messages three days in advance. The flood hit our village just one day after we arrived at this relief camp. Without those warnings, we could have lost our lives and livestock. The early warning messages helped us reach a safe place, where we now have access to all basic facilities.
Anticipatory actions for each river section
The PRCS's forthcoming EAP for riverine floods was developed with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and technical assistance from the German Red Cross, the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and HeiGIT (Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology), with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office. It is expected to be finalized soon.
This article is an updated version of a previously published news item (from 3 September).