NAROWAL: Rescue 1122 rescued 85 cattle, estimated to be worth Rs21 million, that were trapped in a swamp on the other side of the Ravi River.

The operation, carried out with the assistance of local people, took eight hours to complete as the streets and roads of Sialkot were flooded due to heavy rainfall.

A spokesman for Rescue 1122 in Narowal stated that the rescue control room received a call from village Mayadi Nanun that dozens of buffaloes had become stuck in the swamp due to flooding.

Rescue teams, along with 27 locals, pulled each buffalo out of the swamp and moved them to a safe location.

The rescue operation was carried out from 5pm to 1am. Local residents Khalid Hussain and Anwarul Haq praised the professional skills of the rescuers in handling the situation.

The Ravi River experienced a low-level flood, while rainwater drains in Sialkot flowed at their normal rate. In Sialkot, heavy rainfall caused flooding in the streets and roads of the city, accumulating one to two feet of water.

Local residents Muhammad Younis and Bashir Chaghatai blamed the lack of timely cleaning of sewage pipelines for the situation, urging the district administration and the municipal corporation to take relief measures.

Efforts to contact Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Adnan Mahmood Awan were unsuccessful.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2023