Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that the provincial government is making arrangements to deal with the super flood after a high-level flood alert was issued across Punjab.

The chief minister’s remarks came after the PDMA warned of the possibility of a very high flood in Punjab following the release of more water by India, which has raised the fears of a super flood in Sindh.

Speaking at a press conference in Karachi on Monday, Murad Ali Shah said the Sindh government has made arrangements to deal with 9 lakh cusecs of water.

Shah said that India released a large volume of water into Pakistan, leading to floods in the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers.

He said that a flow of 1 million cusecs was currently passing through the Qadirabad headworks.

The chief minister said that all four rivers converge at Panjnad, and their combined flow then reaches the Guddu Barrage in Sindh.

A major flood is expected to reach the Guddu Barrage by September 5, bringing an estimated 800,000 to 1.1 million cusecs of water, he said, adding that any flow above 900,000 cusecs is considered a super flood.

The chief minister claimed that after the devastating 2010 floods, extensive work has been carried out on river embankments, and preparations have been made to handle water flows exceeding 900,000 cusecs.

“We are preparing for a super flood. Measures are being taken to protect human lives and livestock, and work is also going on to strengthen river embankments,” he said.

Murad Ali Shah also mentioned that a flood of 550,000 cusecs passed through the Guddu Barrage on August 24.

He said that monitoring of barrages across Sindh was ongoing, while rescue and relief equipment were being delivered in flood-prone areas, and people in vulnerable areas were being relocated to safer locations.

He emphasised that preparations will be made to tackle up to 900,000 cusecs of water and added that assistance from the Army and Navy will also be sought.

“Climate change is a serious issue, and we must take action to address it,” he remarked.