SUKKUR, July 11: The high level of discharge at the Guddu barrage remained unchanged overnight and on Monday. The upstream flood at the Guddu barrage was recorded at 545,923 cusecs and downstream 513,193 cusecs at about 6pm on Monday. It may be mentioned that the irrigation authorities had predicted on Sunday a decline in the water level. When asked to comment on the situation, the chief engineer of Guddu barrage, Mr Nazir Ahmed Junejo said that information regarding water flow received from Punjab might have had some inaccuracies.
He said that the flood water, which had scattered earlier, was flowing back into the river. However, he said he was hopeful that it would start receding ‘within the next 24 hours’ as the water level at Taunsa also was falling. When asked what would be the situation of the water released by India in the River Chenab when it reached Guddu before its level receded, he said that hopefully the level at Guddu would recede well before the Chenab water reached there.
Earlier on Monday the chief engineer had said that the right guide bank consisting of six T-spurs was under tremendous pressure, and two of the spurs had been washed out.
He said that people of 11 villages near the Badani bund had been asked by the revenue authorities to vacate their homes and shift to safe places.
Meanwhile, the KK bund has suffered a 60-foot erosion and hundreds of trucks of stone were being pitched there to fortify the bund. The Tori Bungalow, Makhwani bund, Tori cross, Ghoraghat bund and others near Kandhkot were also under threat.
The Akil Agani near Larkana, and FM bund near Naushahro Feroze were also under threat and villagers have been asked to shift to safe places. Villagers living near Sakrand and Qazi Ahmed have also been asked to move out because of the rising pressure on the bund.
The water pressure at the Sukkur barrage also increased on Monday.
The flow at Sukkur barrage was 470,665 cusecs upstream and 417,507 cusecs downstream, adding to pressure on the protective wall at Bunder road.
BAHAWALPUR: Army was called out to carry out rescue and evacuation work in the flood-affected areas in tehsil Liaquatpur of district Rahimyar Khan.
According to an ISPR press release about 1,000 people stranded in kacha areas of the tehsil in the downstream of Panjnad headworks were moved to safe places. The press release said that an area of about 30 square kilometres near the embankment, including the historic town of Chachran Sharif and Unran and Chohan and many villages were inundated and standing crops damaged. It added that two additional groups of 150 soldiers each were on standby with motorboats for quick deployment in the event of an emergency.
Meanwhile, the peak flood in the River Chenab will start passing through Panjnad headworks near Uch Sharif of tehsil Ahmedpur East by Tuesday evening. A source in the irrigation department told Dawn that Chenab’s peak flow was expected to be about 200,000 cusecs, which would pose no threat to the Panjnad headworks which had a capacity of 700,000 cusecs. The entire surge may take one and a half day to two days to pass through the headworks.
The source said that some villages and settlements, particularly Budha Jhallan, Shikrani and Thul Hamza in Rahimyar Khan area on the downstream side might be affected and people in low-lying areas had already been advised to move to safe places.
SIALKOT: According to officials of the Sialkot Flood Commission, the water level in the River Chenab near Head Marala and in the River Tavi was continuously receding, with the flow at 110,000 cusecs at Marala. There was a low-level flood in the Chenab at Head Marala and in the River Tavi near Bajwat.
Meanwhile, all the 85 bordering villages of Bajwat remained cut off for the eighth day, as the Sialkot district administration had removed the small wooden bridge over River Tavi which connected these areas with the rest of the Sialkot district.
On the other hand, the water level dropped markedly in all the 62 inundated villages of Narowal district.
