SARGODHA: Standing crops in over a dozen villages of Bhalwal tehsil have been damaged because of overflow of F S drain interlinking Head Faqeerian with Sillianwali because of heavy rain in the area.

On being informed of the flooding of standing crops as well as houses in the affected villages,in the areas of Phulerwan, Salam and Chawa near Bhera, teams of district administration reached there with heavy machinery and started desilting the drain, while Rescue 1122 staff shifted the residents and their cattle to safe places.

The farmers whose crops and houses have been damaged because of the drain overflow, blamed the local officials of irrigation department for not desilting the drain even once during thelast three years, resulting in heavy losses to them.

Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh inspected various affected areas and ordered steps to provide immediate relief to the locals.

The locals apprehended that sudden release of 0.3 million cusec water by India in the River Chenab might result in flooding of crops and houses in the villages along its banks.

Official sources said that in a meeting chaired by the divisional commissioner, the irrigation chief engineer had claimed that there was no threat of floods in the area as all the dykes along the River Jhelum and Chenab were fortified.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2020