BAHAWALPUR: The Bahawalpur deputy commissioner has told the National Highways Authority (NHA) and the Pakistan Railways (PR) to immediately start the desilting work in the Sutlej river bed under the three overhead bridges on highways and railway tracks near the city to protect the bridges structure, as well the livestock and human population, along the riverbanks, ahead of the monsoon and flooding season.

The directions have been given in view of the forecast of heavy rains in the upcoming monsoon season, during which flooding is being apprehended in the dry riverbed of Sutlej.

Officials say that in case of flooding, the silt accumulating in the spillways and under the bridges could create hurdle in the river flow and the excessive floodwater could spill over, endangering nearby areas and human and livestock populations.

As per sources, Bahawalpur Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Anwar Japppa, who heads the District Emergency Board and District Management Authority, presiding over a meeting on Tuesday, told the officials of the two federal departments -- NHA and PR -- to immediately start desilting work at the blocked spillways, removing the sand deposited there, which may impede the water flow in the river in case of flooding.

The DC gave the two departments one-month time to complete the de-silting work.

The boards’ secretary, District Emergency Officer (DEO) Baqir Hussain, who heads Rescue 1122, Bahawalpur, told Dawn that the boards’ chairman and members expressed grave concern over the massive silting of the spillways of the bridges.

He said the meeting participants feared that in case of a massive flooding in the river and rains, the floodwater might cause damage to the bridges, besides overflowing into the areas along the both riverbanks, particularly the right marginal bank, threatening the human population.

He said both federal departments had not done any desilting work over the past years, causing accumulation of sand and silt at the spillways and in case of heavy rains or release of water by Indian authorities, without prior warning to Pakistani officials, the floodwater poses a threat to the human and livestock populations, not only in Bahawalpur, but also in areas from Kasur to Panjnad Headwoks, including Bahawalnagar district, Chishtian, Hasilpur and Vehari, along the river.

Sources say there are three overhead bridges -- two on highways and one railway bridge called Empress Bridge, constructed around 1938. These bridges have 12 spillways each, and of these, five spillways of each bridge on the right marginal bank of the river are massively silted, which may create hurdle to smooth passage of floodwater.

They say there are also encroachments in the riverbed on the right marginal bank side in Lodhran district, which needed to be removed by the district administration.

The sources say there had been apprehensions of damage to the bridges during the previous monsoon and flooding season too, and the district administration had taken comprehensive measures to protect their (the bridges’) structures, but the departments concerned did not take any precautionary measures.

They say that the desilting work had never been done in the Sutlej riverbed by the two federal departments during the last six decades.

The (DEO) informed the meeting that the Rescue 1122 had 31 ambulances, seven fire-engines, five rescue and disaster vehicles, 51 motorbike ambulances and 504 rescuers.

The meeting was attended by the officials of different departments including the Pakistan Railways, NHA, highways, police, civil defence, public relations, health, regional transport, livestock, irrigation, traffic police, municipal corporation etc.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2024