Who cares about Jhelum-ravaged Jhang?
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JHANG: As all eyes are on the River Chenab, Head Trimu and Athara Hazari miseries, the people devastated by the exceptionally high flood in the River Jhelum in Jhang district have been left on their own with a very little relief offered to them by the authorities.
The Jhelum flows into Jhang near village Thatti Langar on the right bank and Kotla Afghan on the left. It flows for almost 90 kilometres before ending up into the Chenab near Trimu. There is no protective dyke along the river.
On the one side of the river runs a range of dunes called Thal which leaves a very little room for the floodwater to spread over. The last 10 kilometres of the river course is very close to the Chenab near Trimu headworks upstream. The areas of Pir Kot Shadna union council are often inundated by the floodwaters of both rivers.
The River Jhelum floods often ravage villages located within eight kilometres at its entrance point in the district as there is no dyke along either bank. The number of the villages affected in the recent flooding was 120.
Of the 23 relief camp established in the district, only two were established along the Jhelum. Of the two, one camp can be described as a ghost camp as instead of being established at its notified venue of Kot Issa Shah, it has been set at village Monda which is 15 kilometres from the venue.
The camp in charge, a naib tehsildar, told Dawn there were no flood-hit people in the area and people only visited the camp to get food. A resident of the area said no one would travel 15 kilometres only to take food items. He said the camp was benefiting villages Monda, Bhumb, Sherien, Bare Wali and Kangra which was not affected by the floods.
The people of villages of Bhum, Jhok Dia, Jhok Usman, Kot Issa Shah, Kirn, Mazari, Chatta, Baksha, Sabar, Kalera, Flamana, Kot Khan, Rajhina, Kabli, Chela, Saliana, Thai Langar, Bullo, Mari Shah Sakhara, Kot Shakar, Sagharm, Machi Wall, Alyina, Dossa, Bella Shar, Boota and Ahmadabad have yet to get food stuffs, medicines and other items.
Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2014
