Bhakkar braces for potential floods

Emergency camps, monitoring desks established to check flood situation

BHAKKAR:

After recent monsoon rains, the water level in the Sindh River has been constantly increasing. The irrigation department started 24 hours monitoring of flood protection and Allied structures in light of possible flooding.

All necessary arrangements have been finalized and construction work is rapidly ongoing to build a 110 kilometre embankment. The administration issued warnings to people living near the river about potential flooding and the irrigation department established six camps in the area, where expert engineers and other staff have been deputed to respond to emergencies.

Punjab Irrigation Secretary Wasif Khursheed especially visited Bhakkar on Wednesday to monitor safety measures and ordered the immediate completion of construction work between Kalurkot and Bhakkar. He said that die to hot weather, glaciers can be melted and water will come in the rivers in huge quantity.

Moreover, the three-decade-old rainfall record in Punjab was shattered after heavy rain earlier this week, with rainfall draining into river and causing water levels to rise.

All officers and employees of the irrigation department have been ordered to cancel their vacations and stay active at riverbanks so that safety measures could be implemented immediately in case of an emergency.

Irrigation Secretary Wasif told The Express Tribune during his visit to Bhakkar that the heavy rainfall has created an alarming situation in Punjab. Chief Engineer Sargodha Sadaqat Lateef, SE M Nawaz Bhatti, XEN Bhakkar M Kamaran Khokar, XEN Kalurkot Division Rana Ali Raza and other officers and staff were also present during his visit.

Superintending Engineer Bhakkar M Nawaz Bhatti gave a briefing regarding the situation and stated that KPK had established 32 safety structures along River Sindh within its borders, causing an increased water flow to run towards Bhakkar.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2023.