Sher Shah. Nearly 300,000 people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas in Pakistan’s Punjab province in the last 48 hours following india’s latest flood warning, officials said on Wednesday.

With this, the total number of displaced people has reached 1.3 million since last month. Several villages in Punjab’s Muzaffargarh district have been inundated following floods in Narowal and Sialkot areas bordering India. Authorities are trying to divert excess river water to their fields to protect major cities. This is considered to be the biggest rescue and relief operation in the history of Punjab.

Thousands of rescuers are using boats to transport people and cattle to safety. Arfan Ali Kathia, director general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said the army has also been deployed in the rescue operation.

According to him, India sent a fresh flood warning to Pakistan through diplomatic channels on Wednesday morning. He said the second warning came within 24 hours of heavy rains and release of water from the dam.

Kathia said the water level in ravi, chenab and sutlej rivers has reached high flood levels. Drones are also being used to rescue those trapped on rooftops in the affected areas. According to him, more than 3.3 million people in 33,000 villages of Punjab have been affected. He said the assessment of the damage was underway and preparations were underway to compensate those who lost their houses and crops.

At least 29 people have died due to floods and landslides in The Indian state of Punjab. Temporary tent camps are being set up on the Pakistani side and food and necessary supplies are being provided to the affected people. However, many affected people have complained about the lack of government support.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority, around 40,000 people are currently living in relief camps, but it is not clear where the rest are taking shelter.

Noor Mohammad, a 54-year-old farmer from Sher Shah village near Muzaffargarh, said he had not received any help. “As the situation worsened, I sent the family to my relatives,” he said, looking at the submerged village. Malik Ramzan, another affected resident, said he chose to live near his flooded house rather than going to a relief camp. “There is no facility in the camp, food is not available on time and we are treated like beggars,” he complained.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif reached Muzaffargarh on Wednesday. He met the displaced people at the relief camps. His visit comes hours after India issued a fresh flood warning.

Last week’s floods had severely affected Kasur, Bahawalpur and Narowal districts. During this time, the Guru Nanak temple located along the Indian border was also inundated. However, officials said the temple was reopened for pilgrims after it was cleaned and restored after the water receded.

Last month, Pakistan had launched a mass evacuation drive after India released excess water from dams along the border.

The latest floods in Pakistan are considered to be the most devastating since 2022. At that time, about 1,700 people were killed by climate-related floods.