LAHORE: More than 1,300 people from five villages in Jatoi tehsil have been forced to evacuate their homes as the River Indus continued to erode its banks for the past week, prompting affected residents to stage a sit-in outside the Muzaffargarh deputy commissioner’s office on Thursday.

Hundreds of affected residents, led by former MPA Khurram Sohail Leghari, approached the DC office and protested. They demanded immediate construction of a protective bund along the Indus at Mouza Lundi Pitafi and Bait Daryai. They blocked the road and started a sit-in when the DC office approached them for negotiations.

During negotiations, the district administration assured the protesters that the Punjab government would soon release funds for the protective work. The administration said the deputy commissioner had already written to the Punjab government for funds to construct the bund, following which the protesters called off their sit-in.

The development came amid a continuing week-long evacuation and rescue operation in Rampur-III and Lundi Pitafi union councils of Jatoi tehsil, where the river has been eroding agricultural land and threatening villages.

River has been eroding agricultural land and threatening villages in Rampur-III and Lundi Pitafi union councils of Jatoi tehsil

Jatoi Assistant Commissioner Sajid Iqbal told Dawn that three relief camps had been established for affected people and more than 1,300 residents of five villages had been evacuated during the past three days with the help of Rescue 1122 and district administration employees.

He said a zamindara bund had washed away, causing the river to change its course towards the villages. An island had also been created in the area, he said, adding that some people were still reluctant to leave their houses despite the threat.

Mr Iqbal said the administration was continuously monitoring the situation and expected the water level to start receding within a day or two. He said that after the bund was washed away, the water was moving towards a creek.

The affected residents, however, accused the district administration of failing to take timely measures to protect the vulnerable riverbank despite repeated warnings. They said locally-constructed zamindara bunds, built by communities with their own resources to protect villages and agricultural land, could not withstand pressure from the swollen Indus and were eventually washed away.

The Jatoi AC had submitted an official report to the Muzaffargarh deputy commissioner on Aug 23. The report, available with Dawn, stated that severe River Indus erosion had continued at Mouza Rampur-III for the previous month and several settlements had already been damaged and were under river water, forcing residents to move to safer locations.

According to the report, Basti Haji Khurshid Ahmad Arain, Basti Pachar, Basti Gopang, Basti Tattla and Basti Mastoi were reported to be in danger on Aug 17, but the situation subsequently worsened and the settlements suffered damage. The report further warned that floodwater had entered Nala Nai Wala Wahla and was moving towards its southern side, posing a threat to several settlements, including Basti Ghulam Muhammad Mastoi, Basti Yaseen Pachar, Basti Ali Pachar, Basti Dogar, Basti Manzoor Mastoi, Basti Muhammad Bakhsh Mastoi, Basti Sahu and Basti Jamal Mastoi.

The assistant commissioner had recommended immediate intervention by the Irrigation Department and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to prevent further losses of residential and agricultural land. The report also recorded that no casualty had been reported in the affected areas at the time.

Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 teams and district administration have continued evacuation and transportation operations in the affected union councils as part of the week-long response, while the district administration has established relief camps for displaced people. The Rescue 1122 flood situation update on Wednesday reported that around 3,000 people were affected in the Rampur-III area. It said that 38 people had been rescued, while 207 people were transported to safer locations, taking the total number of people assisted by Rescue 1122 to 245.

The day’s Rescue 1122 assessment described the situation as “almost stable” and categorised the overall situation as “normal”.

Residents, however, said the continuing erosion remained a serious threat despite the official assessment, particularly as the river continued to eat into riverbanks and threaten homes, farmland and protective embankments. They questioned why permanent river-protection works had not been undertaken despite the continuing threat, arguing that riverine communities should not have been left to construct temporary embankments at their own expense to protect their homes and livelihoods.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2026