Flood in Chenab and Jhelum rivers inundates 70 villages of Jhang

JHANG: Flood in Chenab and Jhelum rivers inundated 70 villages of the district on Monday. The flood also destroyed crops cultivated on hundreds of acres land. The flood-hit areas people said that due to slow water discharge at Trimmu Barrage against the capacity, even low and medium flood situation in the district, the floodwater spread in whole areas of between downstream of Rivaz Bridge and upstream of Trimmu Barrage. As a result, floodwater started crossing Sargodha-Jhang Road at the point of Pakywala and moving towards Jhang City’s flood safety wall, they told.

Progressive farmer and former DBA president Sufi Sanaullah Ranjha pointed out that flood upto 50 to 80,000 cusecs was beneficial to farmers rather than a calamity as it not only waters the sugarcane and paddy crops but also raises the underground water level for their tube-wells and brings rich silt to add to the soil fertility. However, this year, he added, because of slow water discharge at Trimmu Barrage due to slow progress of development work and encroachment on pond areas, its level had been raised than the river bed and the floodwater remained present in fields thus damaging crops badly.

Most of the flood affectees refused to leave their houses because the district administration did not establish relief camps till now to provide them adequate shelter and food to them and for their cattle, he alleged. A large number of government school buildings situated at flood-hit areas had surrounded with floodwater, he lamented.

Rescue 1112 District Emergency Officer Ali Hasnain said that in the light of the flood situations arose in the Chenab and Jhelum rivers, 13 rescue emergency points had been established at Basti Jogaira, Sultanpur, Balu Shabal, Chund Pull, Pakkawala, Peer Kot Sadhana, Bela Jabana, Kot Esa Shah, Massan, Mundey Syed, Kot Maldev, Mansoor Sial Trimum and at Ahmadpur Sial, to rescue flood victims.