September 06, 2006	Wednesday	Sha'aban 12, 1427

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LAHORE, Sept 5: Nearly 200 villages on both sides of the river Chenab were inundated in Jhang, Hafizabad and Sargodha as a peak of high flood passed from Chiniot bridge on Tuesday and more could submerge as the water would reach Trimmu by Wednesday noon (today).

According to Flood Forecasting Division Chief Meteorologist Shaukat Awan, the information regarding the situation of flood in the river was constantly being provided to army and other civil agencies concerned for keeping ready for rescue and relief measures in districts along its path up to Trimmu Headworks.

There was no threat to the Trimmu Headworks but the peak of around 320,000 cusecs to 360,000 would wash away first defence line of mud embankments in the river. This would submerge hundreds of villages in Chiniot, Jhang, Hafizabad and Sargodha, and cultivated land in the riverbed.

Earlier, a peak of 309,000 cusecs was recorded in the Chenab at the Chiniot bridge in the morning which flooded around 200 villages in Chiniot and Jhang on both sides of embankments. Standing crops were also damaged in these villages.

The level at this place later started falling but Mr Awan said it would again rise as another peak of 300,000 cusecs (high flood) would pass through it by midnight.

The river would be in high flood at Trimmu and it would remain on till Thursday (tomorrow). A maximum of 645,000 cusecs of water could pass through headworks without damaging it.

Mr Awan said there were no chances of any flood in rivers Ravi and Sutlej as there was no indication that India would release water in them. “We are maintaining a three-hourly contact with India through our Indus Basin Water Treaty commissioner to watch the situation,” he said.

Owing to the rain generated by two westerly waves, he said that river tributaries in the NWFP like rivers Kunar, Chitral, Ganbeela and Khayali were registering high flow which would ultimately merge into the river Indus without causing any high flood in it. But villages surrounding the tributaries were at the risk of inundation.

Mr Awan said the well-marked low pressure noticed at the Bay of Bengal two days ago was moving towards the Bombay coast and it was likely to cause in Sindh. It, however, remained partly cloudy and humid in Lahore because of the system.

The maximum temperature was 33.8 degrees Celsius and the minimum 22 degrees Celsius with 81 per cent humidity in the morning and 62 per cent in the evening.

JHANG: Owing to high flood in river Chenab, the floodwater entered several low-lying villages in Chiniot tehsil, causing damage to crops. However, no loss of life or property was reported.

Most of the affected villages are situated in Langer Makhdoom, Kandiwal and Hass Sheikh union council while prominent among them are Jhangar Gilhotran, Kot Khuda Yar and Sangra Kot Qazian.

Jhang District Nazim Sahibzada Sultan Hameed told reporters that the district government had taken all precautionary measures to deal with the situation.

He said the people living in low-lying areas, close to river banks, had already been shifted to safer places.

DCO Rao Faheem Hashim said that relief camps had been set up at various points along the river on both banks in all four tehsils of the district.

These camps, being supervised by the revenue and irrigation department personnel, had been provided with all essential items for the marooned people. Officials had already been put on high alert.

To meet any eventuality, departments concerned were observing round-the-clock vigil at all the protective bunds, including Thattha Mahla bund, Jhang city protective bund and Trimmu right bank marginal bund, he said.

SIALKOT: Around 100 villages in Sialkot district, including 40 in Bajwat, 13 in Pasrur tehsil, 14 in Sambrial tehsil, 16 in Baddo Malhi, 17 in Uggoki, and standing crops on thousands of acres remained inundated under two to three feet of rain and floodwater.

More than 4,000 people in Bajwat villages are badly affected by the floodwater.

Sialkot DCO Maj Rizwanullah Baig (retired) said the floodwater was rapidly receding from these areas and the situation would become normal within the next 24 hours, as Sialkot had not received rain for the last two days.

He said the district government had continued the relief and rescue operation in the flood-affected areas.

The DCO said that river Tavi and Tavi Munaawar and seasonal Nullahs Aik, Dek, Palkhu, Baeen and Bassanter were still overflowing near Baddo Malhi (Narowal).

GUJRANWALA: A youth was washed away by high flow of water while two others were killed when the roof of a house collapsed in Sodara town and Rasool Nagar on Tuesday.

Reports reaching here said that Umer Iqbal of Sodara along with his friends had gone to assess the flood situation. Suddenly, he jumped into the water, but its high flow washed him away. The tehsil administration hired the services of divers to fish out his body.

While Faisal of Rasool Nagar and Iqbal of Kot Bhagar were killed after the roof of their houses caved in. Their bodies were recovered by the area people.

MULTAN: The people living in low-lying areas in Multan district have been asked to vacate them in the wake of expected flood in river Chenab.

District officer (revenue) Hameedullah said that all departments concerned were on red alert to ensure necessary arrangements to cope with the situation.

The peak of flood in river Chenab was likely to pass through Multan district within the next 48 hours. He said the Civil Defence department had provided three boats to evacuate people from Nawabpur, Qasim Bela and Basti Kaira localities to safer places.

Mr Hameed said that makeshift camps had also been set up to shelter the affected population and provide food to them and fodder to their cattle heads.

The departments involved in relief and rescue operation are revenue, civil defence, health, roads, irrigation, social welfare and others.

Announcements were being made from loudspeakers of mosques urging people, threatened by the likely flood in river Chenab, to move to relief camps or other safer places, he said.