JHANG: The inevitable happened at 8:50am on Wednesday: The right marginal dyke of Trimu headworks was dynamited near Athari-Hazari to save the head works, Jhang city and Sadar from the River Chenab flooding. The floodwater has cut off Jhang district from Multan, Khushab, Muzaffargarh, Layyah and Bhakkar.

As the army troops dynamited the dyke, the flooding gushed out of the river stream trampling farms, roads, villages and towns. The authorities later blew up the embankment at another point in the afternoon to increase the water discharge to mitigate the flood peak effects on the head works and divert the flooding from the Jhang city.

Earlier, late on Tuesday, a large breach occurred in the Jhang embankment near village Vijhlana in front of the Aliabad police post, 5 km from the city. The embankment at this point is close to Jhang-Multan-Bhakkar highway. The floodwaters inundated the road from the point of Km5 to Km12 and areas between Jhang-Shorkot Railway Line and Jhang-Multan Road. It inundated Vijhlana, Madoki, Lak Badhar, Kot Khara, Gilmala and surroundings of Bagh Town.

The authorities made deliberate breaches in the right marginal embankment No 6 to divert the flooding from the Jhang city, Shakarganj Sugar Mills and Galaxy Textile Mills in the outskirts of the city. The breach served the purpose and the water headed towards rural sides. But the breach spread a wave of horror among the people and scores of families fled the city.

The Athara-Hazari embankment blasts dropped water level by approximately one foot along the Thatta Mala dyke and up to eight inches along the Jhang city protective dyke.

By Wednesday evening, the water level at Trimu was rising and, according to the authorities, the discharge was expected up to 800,000 cusecs by Thursday morning.

Coming back to the Athara-Hazari, the town was likely to be submerged on Thursday as the flooding had touched its outskirts. The areas likely to come under the water are: Wasu Asatana, Dal Mor, Ahmedpur Sial, Garh Maharaja, Rasheedpur, Jabaoana, Kot Murad and Kot Mapal.

Authorities say once the discharge level exceeds 650,000 cusecs at the Trimu, two more breaches will be made in the Athara-Hazari dyke to divert pressure from the headworks. Although the entire area has already been evacuated, a massive destruction of the standing crops and houses besides the infrastructure and loss to the sugar mills and factories is very much likely. The floodwater overflowing the river banks down the Trimu headworks inundated Kot Mural.

The district administration and army troops were in the field to evacuate the marooned people through helicopters and motorboats. There was no official word on any loss of life while unofficial sources say four people died on Tuesday in Billi Habib and Patowana areas.

Published in Dawn, September 11th , 2014