Islamabad [Pakistan], September 2 (ANI): Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday urged against blaming 'divine will' for flood-related destruction, saying the real cause was unchecked construction on riverbeds and natural waterways, The Express Tribune reported.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Asif said rains were a 'blessing from God,' but their benefits turn into devastation when housing societies, commercial structures and even hotels were built along rivers and storm drains, as per The Express Tribune.

Asif further pointed out that Pakistan cannot afford to wait decades for mega-dams, which take 10 to 15 years to complete. Instead, he urged the construction of small dams at the village level under a comprehensive national strategy.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Punjab remains in the grip of a worsening flood crisis, as the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers surge to 'exceptionally high' levels, threatening vast swathes of land, while the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has warned of more torrential rain, which could lead to urban flooding across Lahore, Gujranwala, and Gujrat, Dawn reported.

The water level in the Pakistan Punjab's rivers is expected to rise further after the High Commission of India informed Pakistan of incoming floodwater from the Harike and Ferozepur headworks, according to the Pakistan Commission for Indus Water, as per Dawn.

'Harike and Ferozpur along the Sutlej in India are at high flood level as of 8am on Sept 1, which will affect the water levels in the respective downstream districts,' says an advisory released by the PDMA.

As of 1am on Tuesday, the Chenab at Trimmu recorded a massive and steady outflow of 532,498 cusecs, classified as a 'very high' flood. A dangerous surge is moving towards Head Trimmu, and water levels are expected to swell to nearly 700,000 cusecs, as per Dawn.

At the same time, the Ravi River is also at a 'very high' flood level at Balloki Headworks with 144,675 cusecs, while Sidhnai Headworks is also in a similar state, recording 105,604 cusecs and rising, Dawn reported. (ANI)