Pakistan: Over 100 villages flooded in Sindh

SUKKUR, July 9: A medium flood of 500,000 cusecs was passing through the Guddu Barrage on Saturday, inundating 80 per cent of the kutcha area between Guddu and Pano Aqil, including over 100 villages and farmland.

About 20 per cent of residents of the affected kutcha areas have been shifted to safe places but thousands of families are still entrapped in floodwater.

The gushing Indus water eroded a 50-foot portion of the Qadirpur Loop Band and the water entered the Allah Wasayo village. However, a Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority official said the labourers and villagers had strengthened the dyke by dumping stones and sand bags.

Guddu Barrage engineer Jawed Ahmad Memon said water flow at upstream Guddu was 522,669 cusecs and 493,336 cusecs at downstream.

He said floodwater was moving towards the Sukkur Barrage and the water level at Guddu would begin receding after 12 hours. He said the right side bank of the river, J-spur and the SM Bund were under pressure but the situation was under control.

PUNJAB FLOOD: Three people were killed and several others, including women and children, injured in flood-related incidents in some villages of Bajwat and Sambrial areas in Sialkot district. Scores of people have gone missing.

Mohammad Arshad, 34, and Allahdin, 63, died in Bajwat villages flooded by swelling Tavi river. A number of villagers, old and young, have gone missing. Rescuers, however, saved more than 35 stranded people.

The 85 border-area villages in Bajwat remained cut off from the district for the fourth consecutive day, as the administration had removed a small wooden bridge over Tavi.

In Jamalpur-Maadhokey village in the Sambrial area, Bashir Ahmad was about to move with his family when his house collapsed. Bashir died on the spot while the members of his family were injured.

Meanwhile, a small bridge over Tavi collapsed near Salehpur- Chaprar, cutting off dozens of villages from their neighbouring areas.

Another 62 villages in Sialkot and Narowal districts were inundated by the overflowing Dek drain, as the floodwater splashed over its banks near Narowal, Qila Ahmadabad, Noorkot, Zafarwal, Pasrur, Qila Suba Singh and Pasrur. Standing crops over hundreds of acres were damaged.

Another bridge over the drain collapsed near Qila Ahmadabad, inundating the area, including the Zafarwal police station, a rural health centre and a basic health unit. The inundated Sialkot-Pasrur-Narowal road has been closed for traffic.

According to the Sialkot flood commission officials, surge of the water was decreasing in the Chenab at Head Marala and the threat of flood had been averted.

The district flood control centre established for updating people on the flood situation failed to perform its job and even journalists had to face inconvenience in getting information.

Similar reports poured in from the tehsil flood control centres in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial, Pasrur, Shakargarh and Narowal.

In Narowal district, more than two dozens villages and hundreds of acres of agricultural lands have come under water.

Meanwhile, downpour continued in Sialkot, Narowal and the catchment areas of the neighbouring held Kashmir. The Sialkot meteorological office has forecast more rain during the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, people in the affected areas of the two districts complained about shortage of food and medicines and called on the government to provide them food and drugs.

GUJRANWALA: As many 30,000 people of 100 villages have been affected in the Wazirabad area by high flood in the Chenab.

Besides, a number of mud-houses along with standing crops have been washed away by the deluge over the past two days.

Army and civil rescue teams continued to evacuate people and livestock from the flooded areas.

MANDI BAHAUDDIN: Over half a dozen villages in Qadirabad were inundated due to flood in the Chenab but no casualty was reported.

The 300,000-cusec water started passing through the Qadirabad Barrage on Friday evening but the water level began receding early on Saturday.

BAHAWALPUR: People living along the Chenab near the Panjnad head-works have been directed to immediately shift to safe places. A radio transmission announced that the water level at the head-works was gradually rising, which could pose a threat to the people. According to a report, the flood in the Indus was about to enter the Rahim Yar Khan area. The floodwater has already touched the Minchin Bund due to which a vast tract near the historic Chachran Sharif has been submerged.

APP adds: There is no threat of flood in Shahdara where the water discharge is 27,710 cusecs whereas the low flood mark is 40,000 cusecs.

According to the latest report released by the flood warning centre, the water level in Ravi at Jassar is receding. It came down to 21,000 cusecs at 1pm from 32,700 on Saturday morning.