SAHIWAL: Up to 74 public schools have been closed for an indefinite period because of high flooding in the River Sutlej in Pakpattan district.

Deputy Commissioner Imtiaz Khichi imposed high alerts at Pakpsttan tehsil and Arifwala.

Sources said 51 and 23 schools had been closed in Pakpattan tehsil and Arifwala, respectively.

Dawn learnt 52 flood camps have been established and all line departments are in coordination to provide food and transportation in flood-hit areas. Rescue 1122 added they have rescued 15,000 people and 1,000 livestock.

Malik Shahbaz, agriculture director, told Dawn 5,000 acres and 3,500 acres of crops of rice and sesame seeds have been damaged in Pakpattan and Depalpur. He confirmed there is a danger of more crop damage.

Three districts brace for Sutlej flood peak

He said till date agriculture department had not received any instruction from the government for providing any kind of flood relief to farmers whose crops had been damaged. The Lakhoka Wala dyke at village Jamlera breached, inundating the nearby villages.

BAHAWALPUR: As the River Sutlej anticipates a flood peak at the Islam Headworks near Hasilpur in Bahawalpur district, concerns grow for the civil population residing not only in the Sutlej river’s beat and pond areas but also in the vast adjoining rural regions of Vehari, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, and Lodhran districts.

The ongoing evacuation operation has now been ramped up to safeguard the lives of people and their livestock.

Lodhran Deputy Commissioner Abdul Rauf Mahar said 325 /mauzas (135 in Lodhran and 190 in Kahror Pacca) are at risk of being submerged. He urged people to relocate to the designated tent villages established for their protection.

The tent village, housing about 3,000 residents, accommodates 300 tents and is situated on the Government Graduate College premises in Lodhran.

The district administration has evacuated 215 bastis, relocating the residents to relief camps.

Vehari Deputy Commissioner Asif Hussain Shah assured a delegation consisting of former MNA Syed Mehdi Saleem, and representatives from Vehari Bar Association and Anjuman Tajran Luddan that there is no need to be alarmed about the safety of Luddan city against floodwaters.

Shah conveyed that due to the substantial capacity of the Islam Headworks near Hasilpur city and Vehari to manage over 200,000 cusecs of floodwater, Luddan city remains protected from the flood threat.

OKARA: A joint rescue and relief operation by the Pakistan Army and Rescue 1122.

This cooperative effort has successfully relocated around 3,200 individuals, primarily including elderly, handicapped, and children, from the riverside to safer locations.

Additionally, numerous cattle have also been moved to safer ground.

The R&R operation, overseen by supervisor Zafar Iqbal and executed by 170 personnel using 40 boats, continues to be in full swing.

Meanwhile, Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi was to visit Head Sulemanki and administrative preparations were undertaken, but he did not arrive.

Also, Imran Qureshi, director general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority, visited Attari village along the Sutlej where he was briefed about the flood levels, along with the precautionary measures.

Of 3,200 people relocated, 1,500 were from the Attari point. At the Attari “Tent Basti” relief camp, 2,000 people were provided meals, medication, as well as electricity, fans, and lighting facilities.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2023