MUZAFFARGARH: The district coordination officer on Thursday ordered evacuation of 20 villages located along River Chenab.

As water level was increasing in the river, DCO Hafiz Shoukat Ali ordered assistant commissioners of Muzaffargarh, Alipur and Jatoi to ensure early evacuation of these villages, besides operation against encroachments on the river embankments.

The DCO told Dawn that some villages had already been evacuated in Rangpur, Langer Sarai, Muradabad, Doaba and Alipur Sarki and Zamindara Bund.

He said till now there was low level flood but it was gradually increasing and these riverside villages could be flooded anytime.

DCO orders evacuation of 20 villages

He said the holidays of officials of police, revenue and health departments had been cancelled because of threat of medium flood on July 18 and July 19.

He said a flood relief camp had been set up for flood-hit people.

On Thursday the district administration also included police in evacuation of the areas facing flood threat.

The people in these villages were warned of flood using loudspeakers but many refused to evacuate.

They blamed the irrigation department for poor condition of dykes, saying if the officials had maintained them well they (villagers) could have spent Eid in their homes.

They alleged the irrigation department could not even plug the breaches in embankments caused by last year’s flood.

They said no relief camp was set up for villagers and they would not leave their cattle and crops (cotton, paddy and sugarcane).

Irrigation officials were busy checking spurs and their contractors were trying to plug the breaches.

According to irrigation officials, water level in River Indus was increasing and more than 0.3 million cusec water was flowing at Taunsa barrage on Thursday.

They said the barrage had a capacity of 0.8 million cusecs.

MNA Jamshed Dasti has filed a writ petition in Lahore High Court bench against administrations of Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan divisions and irrigation authorities, besides Punjab chief minister and chief secretary, for showing negligence in making flood protection arrangements.

He alleged corruption in use of more than Rs150 billion funds meant for flood-related projects.

SWEPT AWAY: A nine-year-old girl was swept away by River Chenab waters at Mauza Kotla Bukhsh when she was moving to some ‘safer place’ along with her family, according to Rescue 1122.

LAYYAH: The government officials were ready to combat flood threat posed by River Indus, along with the manpower and heavy machinery, and were following the flood action plan.

DCO Rana Gulzar Ahmad said this while visiting the riverine areas of the district on Thursday, our Layyah correspondent adds.

The district government has pooled heavy machinery at Rescue 1122 office, including bulldozers, excavators, peter engines, mobile de-watering sets, sucker machines, jetting machines and tractor-trolleys, to meet any flood emergency, Mr Gulzar added.

According to officials, a low-level flood (365,000 cusecs) had affected the riverine belt in the district.

Villages of Nooray Wala Kacha, Pakka in union councils of Sahu Wala, Baseera, Sobay Wala, Shadu Khan, Jakhar, Kotla Haji Shah, Kot Sultan, Pahar Pur, Bait Wasawa Shumali and Bakhri Ahmad khan were inundated by flood waters, they said.

In the affected villages, standing crops of cotton, fodder, green chilies, sesame seeds and sugarcane were submerged, they added.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2015

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