By Zulfiqar Ali
PESHAWAR, July 2: With the water level of all rivers in the NWFP rising ever higher on Saturday, the district administration of Dera Ismail Khan has asked people living near the danger zone to be ready for evacuation.
The provincial flood relief commission said that the local authorities and army troops were put on high alert after a steady increase in the water level of the Indus, Swat, Kabul rivers and their tributaries.
The NWFP Flood Warning Centre said that the flow of water from the River Chitral was high and that many villages along its banks had been inundated. It also described the flow of the Indus River at Attock as being heavy and measured the outflow at Attock at 519,400 cusecs at 7 pm.
The provincial government announced that it had suspended the annual Shandur polo festival in Chitral in view of the flood situation.
The water level in River Kabul at Nowshera was very high with a total discharge of 167,200 cusecs and the outflow at Warsak was recorded at 105,140 cusecs.
Heavy flooding of the River Swat sent a raging torrent across the road between Mingora and Kalam. The road has been closed for vehicular traffic near Matta-Khawza Khela.
The flood water has started to wash away the road near Kalam Utror while the Nowshera Kheshgi-Charsadda road was inundated by the River Kabul.
The provincial relief commission said that the flood water had again submerged various villages in Peshawar district, including Bela Mohmandan, Jala Bela, Sardar Tapu, Dalazak Kandar and Daud Zai.
In Charsadda and Nowshera districts, the flood water has risen and various villages have been inundated. Army troops and workers of the district administration are engaged in relief activities.
The Inter Services Public Relations said that the army had dispatched nine trucks loaded with food items to the worst-affected areas of Charsadda and Nowshera districts.
The food items have been donated by philanthropists and well-off people for onward distribution among 2,000 families of both districts.
Our Haripur Correspondent adds: Owing to increasing water flow in the Indus river and its tributaries, the water table in Tarbela reservoir is rising at a fast pace, compelling the dam authorities to keep one of its two spillways open round the clock to avoid any damage to the dam, official sources said.
"The level at the Tarbela reservoir is 37ft short of its crest level," said sources at the Tarbela Dam Project.
Saturday's mid-day reading of the reservoir level showed that the total inflow was 352,000 cusecs and the outflow 250,000 cusecs while the level was noted at 1,512.38ft as against 1,510.88ft the previous day. Sources at the reservoir confirmed that the inflow, which usually increases at night, might swell the water table at the reservoir touching its crest level of 1,550ft if the situation of water inflow remained unchanged.
The sources said that in case of the reservoir reaching its top level the outflow might be enhanced and surplus water released accordingly.
About danger to the surrounding villages, the sources said, the inhabitants of all the 12 villages of Ghazi tehsil and five of Attock district had been forewarned about the situation through loudspeakers and other methods.
They were told to keep at a safe distance from the River Indus. However, the sources refused to say that villages on the bank faced any danger.
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