MUZAFFARGARH: Farmers cultivating sugarcane, paddy and cotton crops are worried about closure of canals at Head Taunsa Barrage due to medium flood in the Indus.

An official said the Muzaffargarh Canal, TP Link Canal, DG Khan Canal, and Kachi canals were closed. However, the Dera Ghazi Khan Canal, which had been shut down due to the medium-level flood from the Indus River at Taunsa Barrage, was reopened on Tuesday. The other canals remain closed.

The Muzaffargarh Canal, with a capacity of 8,900 cusecs, irrigates 800,000 acres in the Kot Addu and Muzaffargarh areas. The TP Link Canal, with a capacity of 9,000 cusecs, discharges into the Chenab River near Head Muhammadwala.

Kot Addu Deputy Commissioner Syed Munawar Abbas Bukhari, who has been monitoring the Indus at the Taunsa Barrage, stated that the water level in the river is decreasing daily. The current water flow has crossed 429,000 cusecs, triggering an alert.

He said relief camps have already been established, with food items, tents and vaccines available. Medical camps have also been set up. The deputy commissioner further claimed that residents in flood-affected areas have already been evacuated to safe locations.

Rape case: A man was arrested for raping a six-year-old girl at Dera Din Pannah on Tuesday.

Police said the minor girl was alone at her home while her parents had gone to work in the fields. The suspect entered her house, raped her and left her in unconscious condition.

Her family came back after some hours and was shocked to find her unconscious after rape. They shifted her to hospital and reported the matter to police. The police traced and arrested the suspect within 24 hours.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2024