Flood ‘14: Relief work hamstrung by lack of ground routes

Officials expect road rehabilitation to take at least 7 days

UCH SHARIF:

The rehabilitation of ground channels is seen as a major challenge to the flood relief activities in South Punjab because only one ground route – Lahore-Multan-Quetta National Highway – has been revived after nine days.

Officials say the full rehabilitation of all the ground routes will take at least seven days. Major ground channels were exploded to give water a way in order to decrease pressure on dykes. These channels are still suspended while Pakistan Army is creating temporary ground communications.

The alternative route adopted by vehicles takes five to six hours to cover a distance between Multan to Muzaffargarh, earlier covered in 30 minutes. The flood victims, who want to travel to Mianwali, Layyah, and Jhang through Multan, also have to take longer routes.

Another challenge is the movement of heavy traffic from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Punjab and Sindh because the main connections between Multan, Muzafargarh and Layyah are under repair.

Due to this situation, vehicles have to travel an additional 400km to 500km to reach Lahore after entering Punjab through Vehari and Faisalabad.

During the flood people moved across Chenab River by boats but boatmen have also increased fares by five times.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Multan’s District Coordination Officer (DCO) Zahid Saleem Gondal said the government was trying its best to reinstate the roads, so that flood victims may return back to their home, if possible. “The provincial government is also giving priority to the health of the flood victims,” he claimed.

But flood victims tell a different story and blame that relief efforts are restricted to the political visits.

Amir Hussain – a farmer from Uch Sharif, a sub-district of Bahawalpur – told The Express Tribune that he was now left with only two buffaloes while he had no money to feed them. “The government has done nothing to look after our livestock,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2014.