100,000 Displaced as Indus River Erosion Devastates Layyah

LAYYAH: Around 100,000 people have been displaced and thousands of homes have been swept away as persistent erosion along the Indus River causes widespread damage in Layyah district. The rapidly deteriorating situation has forced families from several riverine communities to abandon their homes, prompting the Punjab government to intensify relief, evacuation and erosion-control measures.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed her Special Assistant Shoaib Mirza to visit the affected areas and directly oversee the government's response. Mirza travelled to Samra Nasheeb on the outskirts of Layyah, where he inspected damaged localities, met residents and reviewed losses caused by the advancing river. Authorities were instructed to remove obstacles affecting rescue work and provide immediate assistance to displaced families.

The provincial government has mobilised machinery and personnel from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and irrigation department. Officials have been tasked with moving residents and their belongings to safer locations while food, essential supplies and dry rations are being distributed among affected families. PDMA Director-General Saif Anwar Jappa also visited the Samra Nasheeb area as authorities monitored conditions along the river.

The scale of displacement has become the central concern. Residents say thousands of families have been uprooted and many are staying in tents or in the open after losing their houses. The worst-hit communities are concentrated around Samra Nasheeb, where erosion is reportedly altering the riverbank and threatening additional populated areas if the Indus continues shifting towards vulnerable settlements.

At least 10 union councils and numerous settlements have been affected, including areas around Karor, Sehar, Samra Nasheeb, Lohanch, Gishkori Nasheeb, Basti Shado Khan, Kotla Haji Shah, Jhoke Hassan, Alyani, Sikhani, Jismani, Kunjal, Meerani, Wandar and Gurmani. Residents have raised concerns about the availability and pace of assistance as communities contend with the loss of homes, farmland and other property.

Chief Minister Maryam has ordered senior irrigation officials from the Dera Ghazi Khan and Sargodha regions to reach the affected locations, assess the changing river conditions and recommend measures to contain further erosion. Layyah Deputy Commissioner Asif Ali Dogar has also directed departments to maintain supplies of food, healthcare and transport for people requiring assistance while keeping the situation under continuous observation.

A special committee has been formed to calculate losses to agricultural land, houses and other property. Its findings are expected to provide the provincial government with a clearer assessment of the damage and help determine what additional support will be required. The administration has also been asked to develop longer-term measures to protect vulnerable communities from recurring riverbank erosion.

The crisis underscores the continuing threat faced by settlements along Pakistan's major rivers during periods of intense water flow and erosion. The immediate priority in Layyah remains moving endangered residents to safety, maintaining relief supplies and preventing further destruction. Provincial authorities are expected to continue monitoring the Indus while engineers assess whether emergency protection works can slow the river's advance towards remaining populated areas.