LAHORE: Over 46,000 acres of land in 10 villages was submerged when the floodwater in river Chenab washed away an embankment near Sirki in Alipur tehsil headquarters four days back.

Four minors, including two girls, were drowned in the floodwater in three villages on the first day of Eid.

The victims were identified as Muhammad Yousuf, 8, Muhammad Younus, 7 of Kotla Ghulam Shah, Nadia, 5, of Sirki village and Kauser, 7, of Khan Garh Doma village.

According to an official data, the embankment near Sirki was washed away inundating villages, including Kundai, Malik Arain, Missan, Kotla Ghulam Shah, Bait Burrerah, Khan Garh Domma, Bait Noorwala and Bait Channa.

The floodwater also inundated houses and badly affected crops, including cotton, mongi, sugarcane and vegetables.

Govt makes no serious rescue, relief efforts

Khalil Ahmed of Sirki said no official announcement was made for the evacuation and more than 1,000 people vacated their houses on their own after rising of water level near the embankment.

He said the government did not set up any relief camp for the stranded people in Eid days and they were forced to live in the open.

Another victim Zameer Husain, who was present in the ground of the Assistant Commissioner office in Alipur, said their houses and crops were destroyed in the flood and they only succeeded in rescuing their family members and belongings.

He said they got no help from the government in shifting their belongings specially cattle to safer places.

Another man Abdul Khaliq, who came to receive Rs500,000 compensation cheque from the assistant commissioner, said one of his relatives saved his son but his daughter was drowned in the floodwater.

He said the body of his daughter was also fished out by his family members after making hectic efforts.

Meanwhile, following flood reports the district administration has launched rescue efforts to evacuate the flood-hit people. Announcements to alert the people living in areas near the river are also being made in mosques.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice of deaths in flood and announced Rs0.5 million per head as compensation.

The families of victims received their compensation cheques on Monday morning from Assistant Commissioner Zaffar Malik.

A senior official in the DCO’s office, requesting anonymity, said that officials of the irrigation department, district administration and revenue department failed to issue any flood alert.

He said the government had still not launched any rescue-and-relief operation and its efforts were only limited to making announcements through loudspeakers of different mosques.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2015

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