Floods cause massive school destruction across Punjab

Punjab’s School Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said on Thursday that recent floods have destroyed nearly 3,000 schools across the province, leaving thousands of children out of classrooms.

Floods have caused massive destruction to the education sector in southern Punjab, leaving thousands of schools damaged or submerged. Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat shared the update during a meeting with UNICEF’s Pakistan Representative Pernille Ironside, where both sides discussed joint efforts to restore schooling in affected areas.

The minister said that even before the floods, the education department faced resource shortages, and now rehabilitating schools has become the biggest challenge. To manage displaced students, the government has introduced three shifts in functional schools. Reconstruction is expected to take up to three months, while tent schools and rented private facilities will be arranged to keep classes running. Students from affected regions will also be exempted from semester fees and granted scholarships.

Meanwhile, floodwater continues to trap several villages in Multan, Lodhran, and Bahawalpur after breaches at the Noraja Bhutta embankment of the Sutlej River. Stagnant water, reaching eight to ten feet in depth, has surrounded settlements including Noraja Bhutta, Kotla Chakar, Bahadurpur, Deepal, and Dunyapur.

Local residents report that nearly 70 percent of houses have already collapsed, with the remaining at risk if the water is not drained. They also warn of a growing health emergency as water stagnation is leading to the spread of diseases.

Villagers claim the nearby motorway has worsened the crisis, saying its culverts act as barriers rather than drainage channels. They demand an urgent solution to release the water. However, NHA officials maintain that culverts are functional and that protective measures are being taken to secure the motorway while ensuring water flow continues.