Restoration Efforts Continue at Flood-Affected Kartarpur Corridor

Lahore, Sep 2 (PTI) – The Kartarpur Corridor complex, which faced recent flooding, remains closed to pilgrims as restoration efforts continue at the sacred Sikh shrine in Pakistan's Punjab province, according to official reports.

The state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday that the Pakistan army, in coordination with the civil administration, is actively engaged in restoration work at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, following the flooding that occurred last week.

Video footage of the ongoing restoration activities at the complex was also shared.

Last week, the Punjab government announced that floodwaters had been removed from the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, with expectations of reopening to pilgrims early this week. This announcement followed the visit of Army Chief Asim Munir to Darbar Sahib, where he instructed authorities to expedite restoration efforts.

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb stated on Friday that, following directives from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the historic Kartarpur Sahib had been restored. The shrine is anticipated to reopen for Sikh pilgrims (yatris) within three to four days.

The flooding had inundated the Kartarpur Corridor, trapping approximately 150 local Sikh pilgrims and officials, who were later rescued using helicopters and boats.

The floods, unprecedented in scale, brought 10 to 12 feet of water into the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara complex.

Pakistan’s Punjab province is confronting severe flood impacts, leaving over 2.4 million people homeless.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, in a Tuesday press conference, noted, "About one million individuals were relocated to safer locations since flooding began in the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers on Aug 23. Currently, 2.4 million people are homeless in Punjab, a province with a population of 130 million. The floods have claimed 41 lives thus far."

Bokhari further detailed that a total of 3,243 villages have been submerged in the floods.

"Trimmu Dam faces the most significant pressure now, although water levels in the River Ravi are diminishing rapidly. The government has established 395 relief camps, offering shelter and food to families in need, alongside 392 medical camps and 336 veterinary camps to safeguard human and animal lives in Punjab," she added.