The tide continues to rise

MIANWALI: At least 172 Chinese engineers and 700 workers were shifted to safer locations from Chashma (Mianwali) on Sunday as the district was declared a danger zone due to flood waters exceeding 910,000 cusecs near the Chashma Barrage.

Relief Commissioner Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar confirmed, “We have shifted the engineers and workers serving on different projects in Mianwali to higher ground,” adding that the Hydro-power project bridge had been damaged after the heavy water inflow and Ayyub Bridge had been completely swept away.

District coordination officer (DCO) Layyah Javed Iqbal said, “Over one million cusecs of flood water is expected to enter the Layyah limits within the next 36 hours, posing a threat of further damage.” At least 15 villages in the Layyah district were inundated on Sunday due to the flood in the River Indus.

Irrigation authorities said the new flood tide had entered Layyah, where the city’s protective embankment was in danger of collapsing. High flood tides are expected to pass through Taunsa at around 2pm on Monday. At least 110 villages and towns were submerged by Indus River flooding in Taunsa, rendering over 250,000 people homeless. The Pakistan Army is busy with rescue efforts, however thousands still remain stranded.

Rahim Yar Khan:

In Rahim Yar Khan, people living in Munchan Bund, Super bund and near the River Indus have been told to evacuate the area within 24 hours. Dykes are being constructed in the areas and 1.1 million cusecs of water is expected to pass through them on Monday. Dozens of bulldozers and tractors are employed in the area to dig up trenches. The district administration has made announcements from mosques and people are being warned that a gigantic flood is headed there way.

Over 19 relief camps have been set up in the area and five platoons of the Pakistan Army along with boats and divers reached Chachran Sharif and Ehsanpur. Cotton growers said that Rs 50,000 had been spent on cotton and sugarcane crops per acre and that the flood was sure to leave the people completely bankrupt. DCO Rahim Yar Khan Dr Ahmed Javed Qazi and SE irrigation Muhabat Khan inspected the construction of a dyke at Ehsan and Munchan Bund. On Saturday, 300,000 cusecs of water passed through RYK due to which cotton, pulses and sugarcane planted on thousands of acres of land was completely decimated.

“We can see our livelihood and our homes being swept away right in front of our eyes and we are helpless to stop it,” a farmer Sohail said.  1,100,000 cusecs of water is expected to reach Guddu barrage within days and authorities fear that the torrent will damage the dyke constructed to protect areas like Ehsanpur, Abadpur, Jamaladin Wali, Rajan Pur Klan and other areas.

Malkwal:

In Malkwal, on orders of the chief minister, the Pakistan Army, Rescue 1122 and district administration have evacuated 140 people to safer locations and rescue operations underway to evacuate more people. Mandi Bahauddin DCO Muhammad Amin Chaudhry said the situation was under control and rescue operations were underway across the district. He appealed to the people to cooperate with the relief teams for their evacuation and listed an emergency number at 0546-504220.

Dhonkal:

In Dhonkal 3,000 tourists from the Punjab are stranded in the Northern Areas of Naran as River Chinar’s and Lake Saiful Malook’s additional water has entered the city. Former Wazirabad nazim Nawazish Ali said that tourists from Punjab and Sindh including children and women had been present in Naran. Due to the heavy rains, land connection with other areas of the country has been completely cut off. The affected tourists said the government should clean the road or start a chopper service.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2010.