MIANWALI: The Namal Lake flooding has inundated several localities since Aug 6 after the lake started overflowing from all sides as its gates are jammed.

The irrigation department is draining water from the lake through pipes. Initially, 20 pipes were engaged, but on the demand of the affected people, the district coordination officer ordered the irrigation authorities to increase the pipes to 100 to siphon water at a greater pace.

Irrigation Executive Engineer Rashid Khan told Dawn they had started the drainage operation with the available 20 pipes on August 6 and now 90 pipes were functional at the lake.

He added their staff was present at the Namal Dam and replaced the defected pipes. He said the water level had gown down by two feet.

He said when the water level would reduce, irrigation department’s technical experts from Lahore would inspect the jammed gates. He said the Namal Dam was built in 1913 and it had spent its normal life of 50 years.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2015

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