LAHORE: Wheat fields on millions of acres were destroyed and highways flooded in the districts of Multan, Vehari, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Kot Addu, and Layyah due to sporadic rain and hailstorms on Tuesday.

The storms also affected vegetable and fodder harvests. A layer of water covered the crops. At several places, the harvest process of wheat has been stopped. Moreover, hailstorms destroyed flowers in mango orchards, reducing output.

The low-lying areas in and around the walled city, such as Kari Jamandan, Sameejaabad, Shah Rukn-i-Alam Colony, General Bus Stand, Bahawalpur Chowk, Vehari Stand, Chungi No 9, Bosan Road, Katchehri Chowk, and MDA Road, were submerged under the water, and the traffic remained choked for hours.

Due to the rain, public transport stopped, and electricity was also suspended in the entire city.

A maximum of 42 millimetres of rain was recorded in Multan city.

Multan Wasa Managing Director Chaudhry Danish directed the officials to take measures to remove rainwater from low-lying areas.

He also visited Abdali Road, Chungi No 9, Masoom Shah Road, Old Bahawalpur Road, Bosan Road, Sameejabad, and Gulgashat. He also checked the operation of the disposal station and directed the officials to remove water from the roads and low-lying areas.

Former PPP provincial minister Syed Haider Ali Gillani expressed concerns damage to wheat crops in south Punjab.

Farmers in Saraiki, he claimed, were harvesting their wheat crop when a hail and strong rainstorm destroyed everything. Climate change would cause losses for them. He predicted that the cash-strapped farmers would be unable to cultivate the following crop. He urged that the provincial and federal governments calculate the losses suffered by the small farmers and offer them financial assistance.

According to him, climate change, excessive rain, and hailstorm might cause the country to experience a food crisis.

Mr Gilani said a severe flood last year prevented 70 percent of Sindh from sowing the wheat crop, and the current storm may cause a scarcity of wheat across the nation.

According to him, the government should take action and provide funding to scientists to improve agriculture by giving farmers access to the most modern seeds to combat environmental change.

He asserted that Pakistan should receive assistance and justice from the rest of the world as a result of the country’s losses and the changing environment.

He argued that in order to combat environmental change and help those who are harmed, the local, national, and worldwide communities should step up.

MUZAFFARGARH: Several areas of Muzaffargarh, Kot Addu and Layyah districts also remained cloudy and rain and hailstorms hit their several areas.

Wheat crop on several scores of acres was damaged in the three districts. The crop was ready for harvesting but the bad weather levelled the farms.

Farmers Fazal Hussain and Ghulam Ali from Layyah district said that their more than 100 acres of crop had been badly damaged.

Ghulam Ali said that the bumper crop at Rs3,900 per 40 kilogrammes would have compensated their previous losses but his golden sheets had been distracted by hailstorms.

He demanded that the government start a survey of the damaged areas.

In Kot Addu and Sanawan and Mahmood Kot, several mauzas, the wheat was levelled.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2023