Dykes breached to protect populated areas as flood ravages Punjab

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: As the historic flood continues inundating more and more land in Punjab, the PDMA chief, Irfan Ali Kathia, on Wednesday evening said the authorities were blowing up protective levees to save the populated areas in the province by controlling the floodwater.

Meanwhile, Gujrat received 506mm of rain in 24 hours, worsening the situation in the densely-populated region which is badly affected by flood in Chenab as well as local nullahs.

The statement came as the Chenab River was again in extremely high flood at Marala in Gujrat district on Wednesday with the waterflow increasing as India released water from the reservoirs in Occupied Kashmir a day earlier.

A similar situation was being witnessed in Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala after New Delhi released more water into the river through Harike — the confluence of Sutlej and Beas rivers.

Latest readings given by the Flood Forecasting Division (FDD) by 10pm Chenab in very high flood — 449,931 cusecs — at Marala.

It was 564,172 cusecs at Khanki and 530,537 cusecs at Qadirabad. Both headworks had witness over one million cusecs flow on August 27.

The Sutlej River covers a distance of 47 kilometres between Harike — where a headworks is built to regulate waterflow in Sutlej — and Ganda Singh Wala.

Videos on social have showing gushing water in Sutlej and Beas after the monsoon rains kept lashing the catchment areas since August 28, devastating the eastern Punjab in India as well.

WARNING

On late Tuesday night, the PDMA had issued an alert for high-level flood in Marala downstream of River Chenab, instructing the public to adopt precautionary measures and cooperate with district administration and rescue agencies.

Just over two hours earlier, the PDMA had warned that Chenab would be in high-level flood for the next 24 hours Wednesday at Marala, Khanki, and Qadirabad.

Read more: Chenab to be in high flood level again at Marala, Khanki, Qadirabad

Around 4pm. the waterflow at Marala Headworks was recorded at 548,235 cusecs.

The current situation looks ominous for downstream as a high flood would soon be visible at Khanki and Qadirabad headworks which serves the areas submerged by the previous surge in Chenab.

SUTLEJ

But it isn’t just Chenab as India released more water in Ravi and Sutlej too, meaning that the flood level was again on the rise at Jassar, Narowal, and Ganda Singh Wala, Kasur.

Hence, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej are overflowing at multiple points along their respective paths.

The two eastern rivers — Ravi and Sutlej — were already inundating a vast areas along their path downstream of Balloki and Ganda Singh Wala — both in Kasur.

In this scenario, the deluge in Sutlej was producing in extreme pressure on embankments around the Islam Headworks in Bahawalpur district after passing through Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar and Vehari.

Meanwhile, authorities decided in Kasur to blow up protective levee at Fattuhi Wala — a village near Ganda Singh Wala. They had made the preparation to carry out the operation on Tuesday night with aim to release pressure in the Sutlej River.

However, the move would inundate more than 10 villages.

The decision was a result of a exceptionally high flood in Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala which, according to the FFD, had touched 311,000 cusecs at 5pm. It was 269,501 cusecs at 6am.

Later at 10pm, the FDD website showed an inflow of 319, 295 cusecs.

Ganda Singh Wala had seen peak of 385,569 cusecs earlier on August 29.

The gushing waters of Sutlej have been caused land erosion and have submerged 25,000 acres in more than 77 villages just in Kasur, with the affected area certainly expanding in the coming days.

RAVI

As far as the Ravi River is concerned, an embankment at Mai Safooran near Sidhnai Headworks in Khanewal was breached to minimise the damage and protect more populated areas as well as infrastructure.

However, the move resulted in submerged lands in parts of Kamalia tehsil of Toba Tek Singh district.

Meanwhile, Ravi was in exceptionally high flood at Sidhnai with inflow of 160,580 and rising again after a decrease during the day. The reading taken at 10pm.

Earlier in the day (September 3), it had seen a peak — 193,470 — of the current season

PERSISTENT RAINS

With the flood already submerging these areas last week, the rising flow in Ravi and Sutlej would only increase miseries for the locals who have lost standing crops, cattle and homes.

On the other hand, Gujrat, Sialkot and other parts of northeastern Punjab received more downpour during the past 24 hours, multiplying the problems faced by the flood-affected people and the government which busy in relief and rescue efforts.

In Gujrat, it kept raining for 14 hours and caused urban flooding, meaning the nullahs like Aik and Phulko crisscrossing between Jammu and northeastern Punjab are also in flood.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said the current monsoon would continue affecting the upper parts of Pakistan for the next 24 to 48 hours.

With the climate change hitting Pakistan, India and other countries in the region hard, the powerful interest groups associated with fossil fuels are still manufacturing “studies” to deny the scientifically-proven phenomenon.

Read more: Experts blast Trump climate report, giant iceberg starts vanishing

The worst floods in four decades have killed at least 43 people in Punjab, with more than 3.3 million affected since August 26, the PDMA said.

The death toll across the country since the start of the monsoon season in late June stands at 881, according to the NDMA.