August 06, 2008	Wednesday	Sha’aban 3, 1429

MULTAN, Aug 5: A large number of people affected by surging hill torrents in Rajanapur, and awaiting relief four days after being devastated by floods, are bracing for more floods after rains in the Suleman Range are likely to cause streams to overflow on Wednesday morning.

The administration has yet to mount an evacuation and the stranded people are without shelter on high ground and are facing a shortage of food and medicines.

The area is a picture of desolation as surging waters demolished even Pucca houses. Corpses of farm animals are to be seen all over the place while the cattle still alive are without fodder.

The flow in the Kaha stream was recorded at 85,000 cusecs. It was discharging 45,000 cusecs on Sunday. The Chachar stream was flowing at 30,000 cusecs. The discharge was 20,000 cusecs on Sunday. The discharge in the Soori watercourse was 16,000 cusecs.

Meanwhile streams near Pattoki were clocked at 6,200 cusecs against 4500 cusecs on Sunday, at Zanggi 7,300 cusecs against 5,200 cusecs on Sunday while in Dera Ghazi Khan, the water discharge in Sanghar stream was 13,352 cusecs, while Vehoa and Kaora streams were discharging 4,288 1,272 cusecs, respectively.

The Nazim of Rajanpur district, PML-Q’s Ali Raza Dreshak, expressed helplessness in the face of “an extraordinary devastation”, and accused the district administration, provincial and federal governments of inaction.

According to the Nazim, more than 70 per cent of the populace was marooned.

He said that if it were Lahore or Gujranwala, complete government machinery would have been mobilised.

The administration, he claimed, had refused to provide tent, motorboats and other relief items for distribution among the stranded people, but he was trying to arrange relief goods in his personal capacity.

He feared huge losses by the extraordinary water flow in Kaha and Chachar streams that was likely to pass the plains after midnight.