Flood ‘14: Railway track damaged, examinations cancelled

Trains carrying fuel for thermal power plants have been re-routed

MULTAN: As much as 1,700 feet of railway track is submerged in flood water near Multan.

Saandal Express has been re-routed to Jhang. Its stops in Multan and Khanewal have been cancelled.

Routes of Hazara Express and Mehar express have also been changed and the trains have been diverted to Faisalabad.

In Shaheenabad near Jhang, nearly 800 feet of railway track either inundated or damaged. As much as 250 feet of train track near Sher Shah dyke were damaged while 650 feet track was submerged in Muzaffaragarh.

Two sections of Multan railway division near Kot Addu have also been closed.

Trains carrying fuel for thermal power stations have been also been affected.

They are expected to reach Muzafaragarh on Friday (today) through Kashmor and Dera Ghazi Khan.

Railways officials told The Express Tribune that train operations would be restored once flood water receded.

Examinations suspended

Bahaauddin Zakariya University has suspended examinations for private candidates for master’s examinations. Nearly 40,000 candidates were to appear in the examination.

Multan Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education on Thursday also announced to postpone supplementary examinations for matriculation candidates. They will be held later in October. These exams were earlier scheduled to be held September 20.

BISE Controller Examination Haider Gardezi told The Express Tribune that all arrangements for the exams were complete but floods devastated many examinations centres in Khanewal and Multan.

Flood water exposure causing skin diseases

As many as 700 people with symptoms of various skin diseases, 300 with fever and 1,200 of lung diseases were reported at medical camps set up by the district government.

Nearly 200 children were reported with eye diseases.

Meanwhile, 1,500 children and 200 pregnant women vaccinated by the district government.

Multan DCO Zahid Saleem ordered district health authorities to set up two more medical camps to address the shortage of health facilities.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2014.