• Gilani urges residents to evacuate after decision to breach Shershah dyke ahead of another surge; four drown after boats capsize in Rahim Yar Khan
• Floodwaters not receding as ‘backwater effect’ prevents Chenab from flowing into Indus; high-level alert for Sutlej after advisory from India
• PM Shehbaz forms committee to assess flood damage; official says over 4m people affected by floods
LAHORE: The southern districts of Punjab, particularly Multan, are at risk of severe flooding due to the swollen Chenab River, with the authorities preparing for a breach at the Sher Shah dyke to save the urban centres from inundation.
Although no decision had been taken to breach the Shershah bund at the time of going to press, officials were clear that the dyke would have to be breached if the water level crossed the critical threshold of 393.5 feet. As of Monday night, the water level was steady at 393 feet.
Officials said the flood would approach Multan in the next 48 hours, which would make the situation very critical for the city, which is already at risk of flooding.
Against this backdrop, it seemed that the decision to breach the embankment had already been made anticipating a massive surge heading towards Multan from Trimmu Headworks.
Multan MNA and ex-PM Yousaf Raza Gilani, in a Facebook post, asked people living in settlements along the embankment to relocate immediately. The PPP leader said water would be diverted towards Sher Shah, Gagra Kachhor, Mouza Hamar and other adjacent areas to break the flood force and avoid further damage.
Meanwhile, floodwaters that had entered Jalalpur Pirwala on Sunday submerged more localities in the district, including Alipur tehsil. Due to a backwater effect that was preventing the Chenab from falling into the Indus, the water had started flowing upstream of Panjnad.
The water first entered Panjnad Headworks’ downstream settlements Makhan Bela, Azmatpur, Bait Mullanwali, Bait Nabi Shah, Paka Naich, Bazwala, Lati Marri, Bait Burraha, Kundrala, and Bait Channa, and later flooded upstream areas of Ghalwan-I and Dammar Wala Janobi. The authorities relocated thousands of people to save them from flooding.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted a committee led by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal for the completion of the damage and need assessment report of the ongoing floods within two weeks.
Flood threat
Addressing a press conference in Multan, Provincial Disaster Management Authority Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said Jalalpur Pirwala was still facing the flood threat. He said that the first flood was moving out slowly and the water was not receding, while another surge from Head Trimmu was on its way towards Multan.
He said that the pressure would increase on Head Muhammadwala and the Sher Shah dyke in the next 24 hours. He said 63 people lost their lives and rescue boats had made 27,000 trips in Multan, adding that 4300 villages in 26 districts were affected due to the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab floods.
