Floods devastate several cities, villages in Punjab
September 07, 2014
High flood is recorded at Head Khanki, Qadrirabad and Head Marala. At least 36 villages of Gujrat are feared to be submerged if the protective embankment of Head Marala was breached after the water level reaches 900,000 cusecs.
The high flood in the Chenab River and its tributaries - Jammu Tavi River and Manawar Tavi River – inundated about 85 villages of the border area of Bajwat and disconnected them from Sialkot.
The flood also damaged crops on hundreds of acres in the villages. Similarly, the water level was still high in Nullah Palkhu, inundating some parts of the cantonment area.
Relief and rescue operation by Pakistan Army was underway in the affected areas of Gujranwala, Sialkot, Rawalpindi, Head Marala, Mandi Bahuddin, Khanki and Qadirabad. Helicopter and rescue boats were taking part in this operation.
The protective embankment, constructed for new barrage at Head Khanki, has been temporary broken. Xen in-charge Muhammad Rasheed said the protective wall was destroyed in order to save more villages, adding water could have entered in the city if it was not done so.
Nearly 900,000 cusecs of water is likely to pass Qadirabad between 10:00Am to 01:00AM tonight and will move towards Traimon Headworks.
As many as 12 villages near Qila Ahmedabad, Zafarwal, Narowal were also inundated due to flash flood in Naullah Dek as the flow of flood water was 35,000 cusecs there. These villages were cut of the rest of the both Sialkot and Narowal districts.
Several localities of Wazirabad city were inundated as Nullah Palkhu swelled due to intermittent rains. Those localities were inundated include Jinnah Colony Model Colony Haji Pura and Gondalpur.
The flood water has accumulated 4 to 5 feet in the localities forcing the people to take shelter at rooftops of their houses. The flood water is also hitting Skindarpur locality and Dhonkal road. While Khanki headworks is facing very high flood as a deluge of 660,000 cusecs water is passing through the headworks. Dozens of localities including Dhabti Hassanwali and Gorai railway track have submerged in flood water.
Hundreds of villages have been badly affected, several marooned, by exceptionally high flash floods in the rivers Chenab and Jhelum and devastating torrential rains in the districts of Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura of central Punjab.
Punjab government has declared emergency in the affected areas and launched full scale rescue and relief operations. Pakistan army has already been called in to assist the district administration in the flood-hit areas for evacuation and rescue purposes.
At least 143 people have people lost their lives in various incidents, as heavy rains continued to lash parts of Punjab and Azad Kashmir on Saturday.
