August 24, 2008	Sunday	Sha'aban 21, 1429

SAHIWAL, Aug 23: The medium-level flood in Ravi River swamped a vast area of its dried-up bed near Qutab Shahna in the Sahiwal area after six years. Although water has not flowed out of the old Ravi banks, several surrounding ‘bastis’ are under floodwater.

It is learnt that Ravi’s downstream water flow was recorded around 50,000 cusecs on the night between Aug19 and 20 at Head Balloki.

A district flood official, Muhammad Shafiq, termed it a medium-level flood, but he said it was enough to submerge the entire bed of Ravi from Qutab Shahna to the Sheraza area.

“After six years, the Ravi is flowing at this level,” Rafiq Jat, a local resident, said and added that floodwater entered surrounding villages across river Ravi banks, including Rangabad, Mehr Shahna, Longawali, Qutab Shahna, Dola Zarian Bala, Dadkaa and Dadra.

“Villagers who used one boat to travel between Sahiwal and Faisalabad have to change three boats to reach their destination due to the submerging of the vast area of the Ravi bed,” local cultivator Attaullah Khokar said.

OKARA: Heavy floods in the two rivers passing through Okara district have destroyed most crops.

The flood in the River Ravi hit Masrooka and its adjacent localities, 35 kilometres north of Okara district headquarters and the flood in the River Sutlej swept away crops on thousands of acres in villages near Head Sulemanki, some 50 kilometres south of the district headquarters.

Both rivers, which are seeing this much flow of water nearly after seven years, have destroyed crops, especially those grown on their beds. The floods have also swept away mud houses built on the beds. However, the sugarcane crop has survived the flood in certain areas.

Timely flood warnings and relief operations by the administration have saved people and animals’ lives. Ten medical camps are working in the affected areas round the clock and the officials of revenue and agriculture departments are collecting data to assess losses caused by the floods, which have hit the district over the last one week.