OKARA: Deputy Commissioner Dr Muhammad Zeeshan Hanif declared emergency in the district and ordered the public hospitals, rural health centres (RHCs), basic health units (BHUs) and dispensaries to remain open round the clock while the army personnel have joined the Rescue 1122 to deal with any possible flood situation. Leaves of all the public officials have been cancelled.

District Emergency Officer Zafar Iqbal said Rescue 1122 had 150 staffers and 34 boats and they had shifted 850 people to safe places during the last 24 hours.

Medical camps had been set up at 11 places, including Drazky, Mehloo Sheikhuka, Nama Jindeka and Ratta, which had livestock counters also with medicines.

The DC and Commissioner Syed Shoaib Iqbal visited the Head Sulemanki and Attari base camps where the irrigation officials briefed them on the water flow situation. More than 100,000 cusecs of water was passing through the river Sutlej at Attari point on Saturday. The Rescue 1122, a central control room landline 0449200287 was available round the clock to receive any calls, seeking help.

The commissioner also visited villages of Sojeky and Draz where the commissioner was told that the villagers along with cattle had been evacuated from the areas facing flood threat.

Three dozen villages evacuated in Sahiwal; warnings issued in Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur

The commissioner asked the district administration to engage lumberdars to reach out to villagers.

BAHAWALPUR: The district administration has geared up the evacuation of population from the Sutlej riverine areas of five tehsils facing flood threat after the release of water from India.

This was stated by Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Anwar Jappa at a press conference on Saturday where he shared the measures the district administration had taken to counter the flood threat.

The DC said the field officials of the revenue and the Rescue 1122 had successfully convinced the people living in the threatened areas for their evacuation to the safer places.

He said the army personnel were also assisting the district administration in the evacuation and relief work of the affected and displaced persons from their houses.

These army personnel had been deployed in the five tehsils of Bahawalpur Saddar, Hasilpur, Khairpur Tamewali and Ahmedpur East where thousands of persons, their houses and animals along the river beds and low-lying areas of over 73 villages were feared to be affected with the flood. Most of them have been shifted to safer places.

Mr Jappa said the officials of the revenue department and Rescue 1122 were already camping in the areas facing the flood threat and they convinced thousands of the local people to shift to the relief camps or to safer places.

According to the DC, a large number of people have already been evacuated from their homes while the evacuation of the remaining people is in progress.

He said the relief camps had ample stocks of medicines while their animals were also being properly looked after and vaccinated against the epidemics in the livestock camps where the staff of the livestock department were deputed to look after the animals.

Earlier, briefing the media, Bahawalpur District Emergency Officer (DEO) Baqir Hussain shed light on the flood prone areas to identify the vulnerable villages, relief camps and strengthening of dykes. He said there were 19 relief camps in the areas falling within the jurisdiction of five tehsils where the Rescue 1122 officials along with necessary safety and rescue equipment, including boats and heavy machinery, were posted to meet any eventuality in case of high flood.

Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Baleeghur Rehman asked Commissioner Dr Ehtesham Anwar Mahar to complete the emergency anti-flood measures in division in accordance with the preventive measures suggested by the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

The commissioner in a meeting at the Circuit House briefed the governor of the measures being taken to tackle the threat of flood in the river Sutlej.

According to an official handout, the governor told the commissioner on the steps taken for evacuation of population from the Sutlej riverine areas in the division particularly in Bahawalnagar, Chishtian, Bahawalpur and Ahmedpur East.

SAHIWAL: The district administration has evacuated more than three dozen villages near the river Sutlej in tehsils of Arifwala and Pakpattan.

DC Imtiaz Ahmed Khichi said 52 flood camps had been established in and around the river Sutlej, including 36 camps in tehsil Pakpattan and 16 in tehsil Arifwala. Public announcements were made through mosques, asking the villagers to move to safer places.

It is reported that there was high level flood in the river Sutlej at the Head Ganda Singh on the river Sutlej where the water discharge was 253,068 cusecs on Saturday.

At Head Sulemanki, the water discharge was 71,992 cusecs. It is feared that flood might hit district Pakpattan, Minchanbad and Bahwalnager on Saturday night or Sunday.

The administration has evacuated people from villages Baglana, Kot Bakisha, Ferozepur and other rural localities.

Special measures have been taken to save Chak 56/KB dyke and rescue teams are busy strengthening it.

MUZAFFARGARH: The residents of the Damarwala area have been asked to evacuate the villages after the flood warning in the river Sutlej.

Deputy Commissioner Salman Khan Lodhi presided over the meeting of the district emergency board and reviewed the situation after the release of water into the river by India. He issued instructions to the departments concerned for quick drainage of water. He asked the officers of Rescue 1122, livestock and other departments to prepare a plan to deal with the emergency.

The DC sought a report on the damage on the dam near Mauza Ganji.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2023