BAHAWALPUR: A boy drowned in the river Sutlej, while a minor girl is feared drowned near Lodhran on Monday.

According to Lodhran Rescue 1122 media coordinator Muhammad Safdar, 12-year-old Asif of Bahawalpur had gone to see his relatives in Basti Mahesh of Husainabad village near Lodhran. He, along with a girl Iqra (7), was playing on the banks of river Sutlej, when a portion of the bank collapsed because of land erosion. As a result both of the children fell into the river that is in high flood now a days.

On an emergency call by a local, a team of Rescue 1122, led by District Emergency Officer Dr Syed Majid Ahmed, rushed to the scene and launched a search operation in the river.

After hectic efforts, the Rescue staff retrieved the body of Asif from the river, while Iqra could not be found till filing of the story.

SEWERAGE ISSUE: Because of the recent heavy rains, the underground sewerage system in the city has collapsed in many localities, causing sanitation issues.

The sewerage issues have surfaced in various localities, including Farzand Town, Rafi Qamar Road and near general bus stand, where residents were facing problems because of overflowing sewage in streets and on the roads.

On the complaints by the residents, the local civic agencies have started repairs of the collapsed portions of the sewerage.

Taking notice of the issue, Commissioner Raja Jahnagir Anwar, who is also administrator of the Bahawalpur Metropolitan Corporation (BMC), along with the staff concerned, inspected the ongoing repair works and reprimanded the officials for delay in its completion.

CANAL BREACH: A minor breach reportedly occurred in Fateh Canal near Pathonwali Pulli on Choonawala Road in Hasilpur, about 90kms from here.

According to Rescue 1122 and irrigation officials, a five-foot wide breach occurred in the canal that had been plugged.

They said that because of the breach, the canal water entered nearby fields and damaged the standing crops and some mud houses.

The irrigation officials said that the damages would be assessed by the department for payment of compensation to the affected farmers.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2022