Lahore:
Punjab and Sindh remained on Sunday alert on Sunday in the middle of the fresh rainy forecasts of monsoon across the country, stirring the fears of deepening more from the current flood crisis which forced the closure of a critical part of the highway and sent a dangerous increase in water to the Industry River.
Authorities have warned that the situation could deteriorate more with another period of high precipitation expected in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) this week. Peshawar authorities have published an opinion for heavy rains, thunderstorms and strong winds from September 16 to 19.
The forecasts of the 11th monsoon rain fate occurred while the floods ravaged large parts of southern Punjab. The provincial Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said that the M-5 M-5 Jalalpur Pirwala section was closed due to erosion caused by flood waters.
Bags of sand are deployed to protect the embankments, while the police have diverted traffic through alternative routes. North traffic is being released through UCH Sharif, Jhangra and Jalalpur and South Shams, Sher Shah and Shujabad South exchanges.
Hundreds of villages from Shujaabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Ahmedpur East, Rajanpur and Vehari remained flooded. In the Multan district, dozens of colonies around the Muhammadwala and Shershah head are underwater.
In Chachran, hundreds of houses collapsed in the river, thousands of acres of destroyed crops and vital road bonds carried. According to figures from the PDMA, the floods had an impact on more than 4,700 villages in the three main river systems in Punjab.
They included 2,475 villages along the Chenab, 1,458 along the Ravi and 715 along the Sutlej. Rescue efforts include 372 rescue camps, 459 medical camps and 391 veterinary centers for moved cattle, with more than 2 million animals transferred in safety.
The director general of the PDMA, Irfan Ali Kathia, confirmed that the water levels in the rivers of the Punjab began to retreat, the flows at the Panjnad dam falling at around 392,000 cuses. However, at the Guddu dam in the Sindh, the discharges remain dangerously high, recorded at more than 627,000 brackets.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that between June 26 and September 14, the rains and floods of Mousson had killed 985 people and injured 1,062. Thirteen deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, including four in Punjab and nine in Sindh.
Punjab rescue commissioner Nabeel Javed said 104 people died in the province in the last wave, while nearly 4.6 million residents were affected. About 2.5 million people were moved to safer places.
In the Sindh, the authorities are struggling with the dangerous rise of the Indus river. The influx at the GUDDU dam was recorded at 627,000 CUSECS, with outings of 582,942 CUSECs. All river regions (Katcha) of Kandhkot have been overwhelmed and thousands of acres of destroyed standing crops.
Pakistan’s Navy Emergency Intervention teams, equipped with aerogleners, rescue boats and diving squads, conduct rescue operations in Kashmore, Ghotki, Sukkur and Shikarpur, said officials.
Sindh -chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, visiting Sukkur Dam on Sunday, said around 650,000 to 700,000 water records should cross the dam. “We had anticipated this flow and prepared accordingly,” he said
He congratulated managers for supervised flood management efforts. Shah said the government’s priorities saved lives, protected the dams and protected the embankments. He welcomed the declaration by the federal government of an agricultural and environmental emergency, promising that Sindh designs an implementation plan.
Meanwhile, KP PDMA published an opinion for heavy rains, thunderstorms and strong winds from September 16 to 19 in higher districts, notably Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Biner, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi and Mardan.
The authorities warned of sudden floods, landslides in hilly areas and damage to low structures, electricity posts, panels and solar panels. District administrations were responsible for keeping the emergency teams on alert and maintaining drainage systems.
Officials have stressed that with more rainy forecasts and tanks near the capacity – Mangla Dam at 93%, Tarbela Full and the main Indian dams, including Bhakra, Pong and Thein near the maximum levels – the next few days will be essential.
The authorities urged residents to avoid unnecessary trips near rivers and mountains. Residents of vulnerable areas were invited to move to higher or official rescue camps. The PDMA 1129 emergency line remains active 24 hours a day, said the PDMA.
(With Peshawar entries, Karachi correspondent)
