Focus shifts to Trimmu after Qadirabad passes Chenab test

ISLAMABAD: Waterflow was increasing at Trimmu Barrage as the Chenab River continued inundating parts of Punjab along its path on Thursday, with the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirming 17 deaths in the province so far.

Read more: Qadirabad Headworks at risk amid record Chenab flood

The rising water level, which is expected to reach 900,000 cusecs, at Trimmu threatens Jhang city and nearby areas located around 26 kilometers from the Chenab River in the fertile plains of Punjab.

In this scenario, the National Disaster Management Authority on Thursday warned that the Athara Hazari area on the left bank of Chenab could be used as a breaching site to control waterflow in Chenab and protect the Trimmu Barrage.

“Residents of the areas at risk should immediately act upon the instructions of the local administration and contact relief teams in emergency situations,” it advised the locals.

Earlier, similar strategy was used to protect the Qadirabad Headworks by blowing up dykes at two spots.

However, it has so far inundated hundreds of villages in Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad and Wazirabad.

Also, the NDMA said the floodwaters from Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej would reach Panjnad by the afternoon of September 3, where a flow of 650,000 to 700,000 cusecs was expected.

Instructions had been issued for evacuation in the potentially affected districts of Hafizabad, Chiniot, Multan, and Bahawalpur, it added.

Meanwhile, waterflow has been declining in the upstream of Trimmu in Chenab at Qadirabad, Khanki and Marala. However, it is still in extremely high flood at Qadirabad.

The reason behind the extreme precautionary measures are flood torrents, which will propel the flow of the Chenab River at Trimmu Barrage to 700,000 to 800,000 cusecs around 4pm on August 31, the NDMA explained.

RAVI

On the other hand, the Ravi River was in extremely high flood just over 200,000 cusecs at Shahdara near Lahore on Thursday afternoon without a serious threat to the provincial capital.

Later in the evening, the waterflow touched 219,000 cusecs and some low-lying localities — including posh private housing societies — along the river were submerged.

Chung is one of these localities in Lahore’s suburbs where the people had started evacuating their homes for safety late in the night.

Flood in the Ravi River have already submerged Narowal and other areas before reaching Lahore. It is now threatening the downstream region of Punjab along its path.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is bracing for another monsoon spell that could trigger floods in the Jhelum River, thus further worsening the flood situation in Pakistan.

Read more: NDMA warns of heavy rains in Jhelum catchment areas

SUTLEJ

But things are not improving in Sutlej as heavy rains and filled dams in India mean there is no respite when it comes to waterflow.

On Thursday, the Sutlej River was still in extreme flood of 261,000 at Ganda Singh Wala.

It means that not only the people in the already submerged parts of Kasur and nearby Okara districts can’t expect receding floodwaters anytime soon, but also places like Bahawalnagar, Pakpattan and Bahawalpur in downstream of Ganda Singh Wala will face more flooding.

That’s why one of the flood swept away one of the dykes in Pakpattan, submerging several villages and settlements.

Initially estimates suggest that the River Sutlej has so far inundated 380 rivers. The total for Ravi is 50.

CROPS DESTROYED

As the floods are now affecting more and more parts of Punjab, the provincial government has so far requisitioned army in nine districts.

Meanwhile, floods have destroyed standing crops on thousands of acres of land, which will negative effects on inflation in Pakistan, which is again on the rise since April amid shrinking purchasing power.

A similar trend of food inflation was witnessed after the devastating floods in 2022.

‘RUINED’: THE HUMAN TOLL

AFP, meanwhile, described the destruction and rescue efforts in a report.

“Orange-vested rescue teams rowed through streets transformed into muddy rivers in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Thursday, helping to pluck people and their livestock from flooded villages.”

Water has gushed into the eastern province, Pakistan’s breadbasket and home to about half of its 255 million people, with three transboundary rivers swelling beyond their banks.

More than 1.4 million people living near the rivers have been affected by the floods, with over 265,000 evacuated, said Azma Bukhari, the provincial information minister.

In the city of Wazirabad, the receding fetid tide left behind mud, buzzing insects and the threat of disease.

Mother-of-four Nazia Nasir told AFP the army evacuated her family, who found their house collapsed upon their return.

“Everything we owned is lying in ruins,” the 40-year-old said, clearing the mud away with her bare hands.

“My son has nothing to wear, he walks around in just a T-shirt. The crops we relied on for our livelihood are gone.”

‘I DON’T KNOW WHAT I WILL FIND’

Nasima Bibi was not yet able to return to her submerged home, camping on higher ground on the roadside.

“I don’t know what I will find but I have no other place to go. The sun has burnt my skin but I cannot leave,” she said.

People living in the washed out area around an ancient Sikh temple in Kartarpur said no officials came to assist them, with the relief effort sporadic and some stranded in their homes as the waterline rose.

“Many homes were washed away and many people lost their cattle, roads were also ruined,” Muhammad Asad Imam told AFP.

“People were given no boat in the area and confined to their houses.”

Villager Rana Mubashir told AFP authorities rescued people in the Kartarpur temple complex, while the surrounding villagers begged for help.

“It’s been three days since our area was flooded, but no official team has reached this area,” he said.

“Our children had no milk or anything to eat or drink.”

Nearby, men waded through waist-high stagnant brown water that filled the sprawling Kartarpur temple complex, where founder of the Sikh faith Guru Nanak is said to have died in 1539.

CLIMATE CHANGE

This year, landslides and floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed more than 800 people countrywide since June.

While South Asia’s seasonal monsoon brings rainfall that farmers depend on, climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic, unpredictable and deadly across the region.

Read more: Study shows how changes in Antarctica are fuelling global warming

Touring the flood-affected areas on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasised the country’s vulnerability to climate change-fuelled disasters.