Deluge enters Vehari as high-level flood persists in Sutlej River

LODHRAN: Floodwater entered Vehari on Thursday as high-level deluge persists in Sutlej River at Sulemanki Headworks, said the provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

According to reports, the inflow and outflow of water at Islam Headworks, located at Hasilpur Tehsil in Bahawalpur, was about 94,000 cusecs as it continues to wreak havoc along the river belt.

Sutlej witnessed a high-level flood after India released more water into the river on August 21.

An earlier report issued by the Flood Forecast Division suggested that there was a high-level flood at Ganda Singh Wala as well having inflow and outflow of water of about 174,062 cusecs.

Today’s report issued by the provincial irrigation department stated that the inflow and outflow of water at Sulemanki Headworks is 136,632 cusecs previously it was 146,271 cusecs.

Furthermore, the inflow and outflow of water at the Ganda Singh Wala is now at 115,046 cusecs.

Dozens of villages and settlements had submerged under water whereas thousands of acres of crops had been destroyed.

Rescue efforts are underway by the local administration to provide relief to locals. A mobile hospital has been set up in the flood-affected areas, said a spokesperson of the health department adding that about 52 flood relief centres had been established.

Teams from Rescue 1122 of Rahim Yar Khan had also reached Lodhran to help the flood victims.

Meanwhile, the education department said that about 24 schools near the river belt were closed in the areas surrounding Sutlej.

Earlier, Bahawalpur Commissioner Ehtesham Anwar said that the divisional management was engaged round the clock to evacuate people to safer areas from the areas near the banks of the Sutlej River.

“There is medium to high flood in Sutlej River and we have been continuing efforts to evacuate people to safe areas from the villages lying near banks of Sutlej River passing through Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur districts and other areas,” he said on Sunday.

He said the government had also been providing facilities to people to evacuate their cattle to safe areas in view of the flood situation.

Meanwhile, official sources said that rescue and relief camps had been set up in areas near the banks of the Sutlej River so that emergency aid could be extended to people if they were affected by a flood-like situation.