SIALKOT: The Nullah Aik is not ready to drain the excessive floodwater if it happens this time too.

Earlier, when it overflowed in 2014 because of flooding, it had inundated the Sialkot city.

After the floodwater receded, the Punjab government had announced a project increasing the floodwater flow of the Nullah Aik.

Under the project, the nullah was to be expanded, banks re-aligned and widened, its bed desilted and cleaned and its water flow capacity was to be increased from 10,000 to 25,000 cusecs.

The same year, the Punjab government also released a Rs236 million grant to the Sialkot irrigation department for ensuring the early implementation on this project. Under the project, the district administration of Sialkot was to buy 85 kanals along the nullah. The land, identified by the district administration of Sialkot, has yet to be bought.

The winding nullah passes through city’s congested Rangpura, Naikapura and surrounding localities.

Sialkot Tehsil Municipal Administration and Irrigation Department officials told Dawn they had repeatedly brought the situation into the notice of provincial officials but it all remained in vain.

As the Irrigation Department is not ready for the nullah fury, Rescue 1122, however, has made a plan to save Sialkot from flood disasters during the monsoon and flood seasons.

District Emergency Officer Syed Kamal Abid said he had divided the district into six sectors — Sialkot city, Chahoor-Pasrur, Chaprar, Saidpur, Sambrial and Head Marala.

He said 50 to 60 rescuers had been deployed in each sector to launch flood emergency operations after any flood warning to be issued by the government. He said Rescue 1122 had arranged 12 motorboats to launch an emergency flood rescue operation in these flood sectors. He said Rescue 1122 also had five motorboats and one water rescue van to cope with any flood emergency situation.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2016