Lahore:
The flood waters continued to beat the heart of the country on Thursday, passing the number of deaths to 884 and causing urgent warnings from other ravages to Punjab and Sindh.
The authorities said that to prevent Multan from being flooded, they plan to violate the Chenab river. This will allow the water to be released on the outskirts of the city so that the river levels can drop.
Strong rains in the Himalayas continued to get Pakistan on Thursday with flooding of houses and motorways aggravating while the main rivers overflowed.
The Met Office warned that the rain should continue until September 9.
A fierce monsoon season has brought an immense destruction in the region this year, killing 880 in Pakistan during the season. Torrential rains have swollen many rivers, stimulating the authorities in India to release water from the dams and additional flood on both sides of the border.
Countries share rivers, which flow from India to Pakistan. New Delhi has issued seven warnings to Islamabad regarding the opening of the dam doors, three in the last 24 hours, Pakistan officials said.
Irfan Ali Kathia, managing director of Punjab Disaster Management Authority, said Thursday that three rivers in Pakistan had been affected by the release of more water from Indian dams.
India has opened spills on the dams of Baglihar and Salal on Chenab, citing strong precipitation in the upstream watersheds.
Thanks to diplomatic channels, New Delhi also warned Islamabad from the head of the head of Harike and Ferozepur on Sutlej. The Department of Pakistan Water Resources has published an alert of floods in response.
The provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Punjab has published details concerning water levels in Indian dams. He warned that water levels in these tanks are increasing continuously.
According to the director general of the PDMA, the situation is monitored 24 hours a day.
At the Pong dam in the Indian state of the Himachal Pradesh, the water level of the Beas river reached 1,394.51 feet. The influx at the dam is recorded at 132,595 brackets, while the outings flow to 100,000 brackets.
At the Bhakra dam built at the Sutlej river also in the Himachal Pradesh, the water level has increased to 1,679 feet, approaching maximum capacity. The influx is 95,400 brackets, while the outputs are 73,459 cuses.
In Harike Headworks – at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas – Inflow rivers reached 347,500 cuses, with outings recorded at 330,677 CUSCES. The PDMA said that entries and exits are increasing regularly.
In Punjab, 1.8 million people have been evacuated in recent weeks after flooding has overcome nearly 3,900 villages.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in its last bulletin that a death had been reported in Swabi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while four people were injured in Lahore and Sheikhupura in the last 24 hours.
Since June 26, Punjab has recorded 223 deaths and 653 injuries, while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remains the most affected province with 489 deaths and 359 injuries. Sindh reported 58 deaths, Gilgit-Baltistan 41, Azad Jammu and Cashmire 38, Balutchistan 26 and Islamabad Nine.
The floods have damaged more than 9,200 houses nationwide, including 4,700 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and more than 2,100 in a cashmere Azad. Nearly 6,200 cattle were lost. At least 239 bridges and 671 kilometers of roads were also carried away or seriously damaged.
In the past 24 hours only, 31 other houses have been damaged in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Cachemire.
Rescue operations remain intensive. In the past 24 hours, 989 operations in Punjab alone rescued nearly a million people, while 61 operations in the Sindh have evacuated 28,940. At the national level, more than 2.1 million people have been saved since the start of the floods.
Rescue supplies – including tents, ration packs, mattresses, mosquitoes, nets, tarpaulins and life jackets – are distributed by federal and provincial agencies with the support of humanitarian partners.
Punjab Rivers Breach Talsalments
In Ganda Singh Wala in Kasur, a flood wave of more than 319,000 CUSECs overwhelmed more than 100 villages and nearly 18,000 acres of agricultural land. In Lodhran and Vehari, violations in the protective embankments left whole colonies underwater.
The delighted and the Chenab also wreaked havoc. The flood waters entered the houses in Kabirwala after the collapse of the makeshift dikes, while in Multan, the delight reached the railway bridge. In Shujaabad, dozens of villages have been overwhelmed and violations in the canals near Sidhnai and Rango have left thousands of displaced people.
The city of Gujrat also underwent a separate disaster after 577 millimeters of precipitation in 24 hours sparked serious urban floods, submerged streets, government offices and stores under four feet of water. The mosques broadcast repeated announcements exhorting residents to go to safer land.
Rescue commissioner Nabeel Javed said that more than 3.8 million people had been affected through Punjab, 1.8 million already evacuated. At least 46 deaths in Punjab were linked to floods.
The province of disaster management (PDMA) said that around 4,000 villages were overwhelmed that 1.5 million residents saved and more than a million cattle have moved.
Agriculture has been devastated. More than 1.3 million acres of cultures are destroyed, with the Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Gujrat divisions. Officials have warned that damage may have lasting consequences for the agricultural economy of Punjab.
Officials of the flood forecast division confirmed extremely high water levels in Ganda Singh Wala on Sutlej, Khanewal and Qadirabad on the Chenab and Sidhnai on the Ravi. PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said that the following 24 hours were essential for Multan, where the convergence of Ravi and Chenab threatens neighboring districts.
