MUZAFFARGARH/BAHAWALPUR: As the flood level in the River Chenab is rising, the district administration and the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued an alert about the flood in the Indus River in the next few days. The Chenab flooding is heading towards Rangpur, Head Mohammed Wala and Muzaffargarh.

Deputy Commissioner Ali Annan Qamar said that the next two days (Monday and Tuesday) are critical for the city areas and so far dozens of villages along the riverside had been affected by the medium-level Chenab flooding. Flood has touched Muzaffargarh’s main embankment and rescue teams have set up camps there to watch the situation.

The administration has issued a red alert for the city area but there is no panic in the city as the people believe the vast riverside plains will be enough to spread the water. In the river belt, schools will not be opened from Monday while basic health units and schools have been converted into relief camps where livestock officials and health department officials are present.

The DC said that the Chenab flood will also affect Alipur and Jatoi tehsils here where the Zamindara embankment is under threat. Hundreds of families were forced to evacuate their homes in Alipur and Jatoi. Also, the Shehr Sultan flood embankment was at high risk and thousands of people had been told to evacuate their homes. There is a lack of food items and tents as 10,000 to 20,000 people are waiting for relief.

No threats to Bahawalpur areas from Sutlej river

In the Indus River, there is a medium-level flood as more than 200,000 cusecs water was flowing at the Taunsa Barrage. The irrigation department has decreased the Muzaffargarh Canal water to 3,000 cusecs from 8,000 cusecs and the TP-Link canal to 5,000 cusecs from 12,000 cusecs. Similarly, the Dera Ghazi Khan Canal and Kachhi Canal are running at reduced flows. The DC said that Abbaswala Bund was in good health to protect areas from the Indus flooding.

BAHAWALPUR: The divisional administration has directed the evacuation of the inhabitants from the Panjnad Headworks touching the jurisdictions of several rural areas falling within tehsil Ahmedpur East and sub-tehsil Uch Sharif.

Dawn learnt that due to the rise in water level in the River Chenab, Kachi Shikrani, Bakhtiari, Chak Kambal, Shikrani, Rasoolpur, Jagear Sadiqabad, Makhan Bela, Noorpur Jadead, Kachi Lal and others around

Uch Sharif have been submerged. Rescue 1122 has established camps in the areas and shifted locals and their livestock to safer places.

Bahawalpur Commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar ruled out any flood-like situation at the Panjnad Headworks, saying the evacuation of the people illegally residing in the dry bed of both up and down streams of the Panjnad Headworks along the left marginal bund (LMB) may face a threat of the inundation of the vast area.

The total discharge capacity of the Panjnad Headworks is 800,000 cusecs but only 200,000 cusecs were expected in the coming days. He added that although there were reports of releasing extra water in the Chenab river by Indian authorities, while the dried–up River Sutlej had also now abundant flood and rainwater but the situation was entirely under control as the water will take several days to hit the Panjnad Headworks and by then its quantity will naturally be decreased.

Dawn learnt that the water level in the River Sutlej at Empress Bridge near the city is also satisfactory and a large number of people visited the bridge to watch the life in the river. The officials of the irrigation department said that the current water level will have no threat to the city population as the bed needed still required a large quantity of water to fill it to the brim.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2022