MUZAFFARGARH: A 30-foot breach occurred in the Rangpur Canal at Basti Kumhara, 35 kilometres from the city, on Saturday night, causing extensive damage to dozens of houses and flooding hundreds of acres of farmland.

Local residents evacuated the area on their own, announcing the need to leave over mosque loudspeakers and contacting irrigation officials and Rescue 1122 for assistance.

Due to the negligence of the district administration and the irrigation department, canal water inundated dozens of homes, forcing locals to relocate. Several mud houses collapsed under the pressure of the water, leaving many families trapped.

The breach remained unplugged until Sunday afternoon, when the canal was finally closed off at Head Trimmo. The breach was later sealed under the supervision of Muzaffargarh Assistant Commissioner Nasir Shahzad Dogar.

The flooding posed a threat to Muzaffargarh-Khushab Road and a nearby grid station. Locals said that despite multiple calls to irrigation and rescue officials, only the rescue teams responded, beginning evacuations. The irrigation team, however, was delayed in arriving at the scene.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Abida Fareed stated that her revenue teams were assessing the damage to houses and crops, and would submit a report to Deputy Commissioner Mian Usman Ali for further action.

Dr Fareed, who arrived at the scene, assured the affected farmers that their losses would be evaluated. AC Dogar attributed the breach to excessive monsoon rains.

Local farmers said their cotton crops and homes had been damaged. They appealed to the Punjab government for compensation and urged Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to take action against the responsible officials. The Rangpur Canal, which originates from Head Trimmo, carries 6,000 cusecs of water to irrigate the surrounding farmland.

In a related incident, a road near the Chenab River bridge between Multan and Muzaffargarh collapsed due to heavy monsoon rains and disrupted traffic flow.

A portion of the road became submerged, and a large pothole near the Chenab bridge trapped a goods-laden trawler on the national highway.

The road connects various southern districts, including Multan and Muzaffargarh, and its damage severely affected transportation.

Despite the passage of several hours, personnel from the Highway Department and Traffic Police had yet to arrive to secure the area or manage the traffic, raising concerns over the potential for accidents on the busy Multan Road.

WALL COLLAPSE: Two women were injured in Layyah when the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rain near Rajan Shah Darbar on Sunday.

Sources identified the victims as 60-year-old Kaniz Bibi and 30-year-old Shaheen Akhtar. Rescue teams provided medical aid on the spot before transferring the injured to a hospital for further treatment.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2024