DERA GHAZI KHAN: The Fazilpur city police have registered a case against 50 flood-affected people, three of them nominated, on the allegation of snatching 100 or so ration bags from a government warehouse.

Hundreds of villages in Pachad or arid zone and Rajanpur are still disconnected from Fazilpur. Growing food crisis in the flood-affected areas of Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan is transforming into lawlessness as incidents of snatching of ration bags and relief goods are on the rise.

On Aug 27, around 50 residents of Fazilpur stole ration bags from the warehouse established by the government at Associate College. The city police registered a case against them.

Earlier, in Rojhan tehsil, a number of people looted food items from two trucks of relief goods. In a similar incident in Fazilpur, people snatched ration after getting access to two trucks loaded with relief goods for people of arid zone and tribal area.

A government servant told Dawn that delay in construction of steel bridge to connect Fazilpur and Hajipur (arid zone) and tribal area was causing delay in rescue and relief activities. Imran, a resident of an affected area, told Dawn that people were facing an acute shortage of food as they had been shelterless for the last one month. There was also no fodder for cattle, he said. People were forced to use improvised ‘drum boats’ to cross the flooded area adjacent to the broken bridge on Dajil Hajipur Road.

Meanwhile, hundreds of graveyards have been submerged by floodwaters.

DROWNS: A resident of Chak Ahmedani of Fazilpur drowned in floodwater. Mujahid tried to move away from his village but drowned, says journalist Amin Anjum.

COMMISSIONER: Liaquat Ali Chattha assumed the charge of commissioner, DG Khan, and visited the flood-affected areas of Rajanpur.

Presiding over a meeting at Rajanpur DC office, he got a briefing from Deputy Commissioner Arif Rahim and ordered construction of a permanent bridge to connect Lalgarh (Hajipur) with Fazilpur.

Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ali Attil, Chief Engineer Sajid Rizvi and others were present.

The DC said that according to the preliminary report, 70 per cent of the area of Rajanpur district was affected by the flood due to hill torrents. He said 102,420 people were rescued, dry ration was being distributed and 129,520 people were being given three meals a day.

He said 37 flood relief camps had been established and 752 families were staying over there.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2022