LODHRAN/PAKPATTAN: River Sutlej remained in high-level flood at Sulemanki Headworks and continues to wreak havoc along the river belt in Pakpattan, Lodhran and Vehari districts, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Thursday.
According to PDMA report, the floodwater in the Sutlej has entered Vehari whereas the inflow and outflow of water at Islam Headworks was about 94,000 cusecs.
On August 21, it was reported that Sutlej witnessed a deluge after India released more water into the river.
An earlier report issued by the Flood Forecast Division suggested that there was a high-level flood at Ganda Singh Wala as well having inflow and outflow of water of about 174,062 cusecs.
On Thursday report issued by the provincial irrigation department stated that the inflow and outflow of water at Sulemanki Headworks is 136,632 cusecs previously it was 146,271 cusecs.
Furthermore, the inflow and outflow of water at the Ganda Singh Wala is now at 115,046 cusecs.
Due to destruction of safety embankments and flooding of roads, connection of Pakpattan with rest of the region has severed. Similarly, a current of 150,000 cusec entered Burewala and inundated dozens of villages, settlements and thousands of acres of crops as several protective embankments were damaged. The cattle have also been deprived of fodder.
Local residents of Pakpattan have been confined to their homes, as the Rehmani Malkana and its adjacent settlements have been flooded. The situation has also left the cattle in a poor condition, while the flood victims await government help.
A dearth of facilities at flood relief and medical camps has been reported. There is a continuous increase in the flow of water in the Sutlej. The level of inflow and discharge of water at Head Sulemanki has been recorded at 155,330 cusecs.
The huge water current has led to destruction in Bahawalnagar after 35 years. The breaking of several protective embankments has submerged dozens of settlements, as flood water enters house and has destroyed thousands of acres of crops.
Rescue teams claim to have safely shifted more 7,000 people to safety. Similar damage and destruction has been reported from Arifwala and Minchinabad as well.
Meanwhile, the flow of water in Sutlej River is reducing at Kasur, as the level has fallen to 118.000 cusecs. With the land surrounded with water, the temperature has also risen and the cattle have been left without fodder.
Rescue efforts are underway by the local administration to provide relief to locals. A mobile hospital has been set-up in the flood-affected areas, said a spokesperson of the health department adding that about 52 flood relief centres had been established.
Teams from Rescue 1122 of Rahim Yar Khan had also reached Lodhran to help the flood victims.
Meanwhile, the education department said that about 24 schools near the river belt were closed in the areas surrounding Sutlej.
Earlier, Bahawalpur Commissioner Ehtesham Anwar said that the divisional management was engaged round the clock to evacuate people to safer areas from the areas near the banks of the Sutlej River.
“There is medium to high flood in Sutlej River and we have been continuing efforts to evacuate people to safe areas from the villages lying near banks of Sutlej River passing through Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur districts and other areas,” he said on Sunday.
He said the government had also been providing facilities to people to evacuate their cattle to safe areas in view of the flood situation.
Meanwhile, official sources said that rescue and relief camps had been set up in areas near the banks of the Sutlej River so that emergency aid could be extended to people if they were affected by a flood-like situation.
Rain with wind, thundershower forecast
Meanwhile, rain and wind with thundershower is expected in Pothohar region, Islamabad, upper Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir during the next twenty-four hours.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological department alert, heavy falls may also occur at isolated places in Pothohar region, Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and upper Punjab during the period. Hot and humid weather is expected in other parts of the country. Temperature of some major cities recorded on Thursday morning.
Islamabad and Muzaffarabad twenty-four degree centigrade, Karachi and Peshawar twenty-seven, Lahore twenty-eight , Quetta twenty, Gilgit twenty-six and Murree sixteen degree centigrade.
According to weather forecast of Met office for Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, partly cloudy weather with chances of rain-wind and thundershower is expected in Srinagar, Jammu, Anantnag and Shopian, while chances of rain and wind with thundershower in Leh, Pulwama and Baramula.
Temperature recorded. Srinagar and Baramula twenty-one degree centigrade, Jammu twenty-six, Leh 13c, Pulwama and Anantnag twenty and Shopian eighteen degree centigrade.
