LAHORE: A very high flood peak in Chenab swelled on its way to Multan on Saturday after swallowing another discharge of 80,000 cusecs from Ravi, posing a severe threat to towns ahead, especially near Panjnad.

Reports late in the night said that a breach had taken place in Manjhiwal Bund at 9:30pm and floodwater was heading towards Muzaffar­garh. People began to rush out of the city, and roads to Alipur and Dera Ghazi Khan were choked with vehicles.

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Muzaffargarh DCO Hafiz Shaukat claimed that the floodwater would be stopped by the embankments of Tulheri canal on the outskirts of the city. But this did not happen in 1993 when the raging torrents submerged Muzaffargarh city.

The DCO said teams were working to plug the breach.

The peak was also putting pressure on Doaba spur, but the district administration was reluctant to breach it.

The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) expected a peak of about 700,000 cusecs, an exceptionally high flood, at Panjnad, in 36 hours indicating chances of a vast area of land coming under water adjoining Muzaffargarh and other towns in south Punjab.

The FFD said the discharge at Trimu was 240,000 cusecs in the morning and it was falling. But floodwater was still gushing in Athara Hazari and adjoining villages from a breach caused at this point three days ago.

Floodwater was also entering Multan region from the breaches caused at Shershah and Mohammadwala bridges on Friday, submerging a vast area of land and affecting a huge population and crops over thousands of acres.

Authorities said floodwater from these areas was also moving ahead. But they would remain affected for quite some time even despite the fall in the discharge of river Chenab.

Officials and reports from Multan and ahead, indicated panic among people and local administration because of chances of breaches in Chenab around Panjnad.

A Muzaffargarh resident told Dawn by telephone that thousands of people were sitting at Dumerwala, Alipur, embankment of the river, to resist a breach which they feared might be caused. “This will destroy people and therefore they are prepared to resist any such attempt,” he said.

Cracks were reported in the Muzaffargarh Canal embankment near Multan under pressure from the flood peak in Chenab.

The floodwater from the breaches at Mohammadwala and Shershah bridges continued to spread over a large number of villages, affecting life and property a great deal.

The peak in Chenab was heading towards Multan. Shujabad and Jalalpur Pirwala, Khanpur Hammar, Ghaghra Kachor, Hajipur and other areas of Multan tehsil have already been badly affected by the flood, damaging a large number of petrol pumps, restaurants, small factories, houses and crops.

The protection dykes near Mohammadpur Ghota, Bakhari flyover and railway crossing near Shershah were being strengthened to avert any erosion.

In Shujabad, dozens of villages inside the riverbed protective had been damaged. Several villages in Jalalpur Pirwala, including Shahpur, Wasti Narool and Khan Bela, were under threat of breaches in their small protective dykes.

“The discharge in Shujabad and Multan is high. But it is still low near Jalalpur Pirwala. The high flood wave is passing through Shujabad,” said Multan DCO Zahid Gondal.

According to an ISPR, Multan Corps Commander Abid Pervez was daily visiting the flood-hit areas.

About 340,000 cusecs of water crossed Panjnad on Saturday, submerging a number of villages in Chenab’s beds. It also inundated illegal settlements in the bed of the dried-up river, Sutlej.

Irrigation Department’s Bahawalpur Zone Chief Engineer Malik Khurshid told Dawn by telephone from Panjnad that all spillways of the headworks had been opened so as to clear it from silt and ensure smooth passage of the flood peak. He said there would be no need of any breaching if the flood did not damage embankments of the river around the headworks.

Bahawalpur Corps Commander Lt Gen Javed Iqbal visited Panjnad Headworks and Chahran Sharif and had aerial view of the flood-affected areas. He saw the troops busy in the evacuation operation of people from the flood-affected areas and praised their efforts. Divisional Commissioner Javed Akbar accompanied him.

The peak in river Chenab was hitting Doaba spur, but the district administration was hesitant to breach it. The peak was expected to put pressure on Shehr Sultan spur, Alipur, at midnight and administration had ordered evacuation of people from the endangered areas.

The district already stood cut off from Multan and Jhang districts and many other breaches occurred on Multan-Muzaffargarh Road.

Officials said 14 union councils had been affected by the flood in Chenab. Thousands of people were waiting for food and tents.

Published in Dawn, September 14th , 2014