Two men drowned in separate incidents in Sialkot on Friday. Arsalan, 17, drowned while bathing in River Chenab near Head Marala and Altaf Hussain, 35, a Mianwali resident, in the Upper Chenab Canal near Sambrial. Rescue officials were searching for their bodies by the time this report was filed.
Meanwhile, bodies of two youngsters who had drowned a few days ago was recovered on Friday.
The body of Hafizabad resident Ali Hassan, 13, was found from Bambaanwala-Ravi-Bedian (BRB) Canal near Satrah-Daska and of Wazirabad resident Muhammad Usman from River Chenab. Usman and his two sisters had drowned while bathing in the river three days ago. The bodies of the two girls were yet to be recovered. Incidents of drowning are being reported regularly in the district despite a ban on bathing in River Chenab and its canals. The district administration has imposed Section 144 in areas around the river.
However, large numbers of people keep visiting the river banks with their families. Talking to the PPI, the visitors said River Chenab was the only picnic spot in the area. They said the administration should take steps to stop people from bathing in the river instead of banning people from visiting the area.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2011.
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