TOBA TEK SINGH: The Chenab floodwater has vastly damaged crops and houses in hundreds of rural localities in Jhang district.

Although the high level of water crossed 550,000 cusecs on Monday, its level is going down at Trimmu Headworks and when this report was filed on Tuesday evening, its flow was 399,000 cusecs.

In Daduana Kuhna, a locality 20km from Jhang near the main spur on Chund Bharwana side, rice and sugarcane crops had been completely destroyed by floodwater. The mud houses of peasants were demolished while the cemented houses had also developed cracks.

In reply to a question about relief camps or help of government in floodwater area, a flood affected person said no relief reached him; however, philanthropists of nearby areas provided meals for them and fodder for their livestock.

Khan Nawazish Ali Sial, a landlord and brother of a former MPA Auon Ali Sial, said hundreds of acres of crops had been inundated by floodwater which reached his area in Garh Maharaja due to the wrong decision of the administration under which a breach was made on the west side of Sultan Bahu Bridge on Chenab.

People criticise breach made on the west side of Sultan Bahu Bridge

“The breach caused havoc in the area and houses in localities and crops had badly been damaged. The breach should have been created on the east side of bridge on the Shorkot city side where there was no population but only crops fields. But to save crops of some influential land owners in Shorkot tehsil, the breach was not made on the eastern side of the bridge.”

Sial said water speed was yet high and it was moving towards 2,000 years old historical locality of Pir Abdul Rehman. He added that Chenab water was going towards those localities of Ahmadpur Sial where it could meet the Ravi floodwater.

According to latest situation, water has suspended traffic from Sultan Bahu bridge to Garh Maharaja and motorists from Layyah and Bhakkar on the way to M-4 interchange near Shorkot were forced to adopt alternate routes.

The Jhang administration spokesperson Riaz Marth claimed that relief camps were functional after every 500 meters in the flood-affected areas.

He said the decision about the breach on the road on one side of Sultan Bahu Bridge was decided after consultation with locals. He refuted the propaganda that crops of any of the influential were saved and added that unexpected high flow of water had caused destruction in the Garh Maharaja area.

Mr Marth said every single person or animal trapped in floodwater was traced and through the Safe City Authority’s thermal drones and rescued and added that the Jhang Safe City Authority had pointed out 36 areas, locating 160 trapped individuals in severe flood conditions and guiding rescue and police teams.

The people demanded the CM to accept their genuine demand to declare the Jhang district’s affected areas as calamity-hit to waive agriculture taxes, water rate and other levies.

Jhang Traffic Police Officer Saeed Akhtar Dholka said the traffic had been suspended from Shorkot Tehsil Chowk to Kabirwlala, (Khanewal) via Pul Bhaghar as river Ravi floodwater is flowing over the Jhang -Kabirwala Road near Kot Islam.

In Toba Tek Singh district, traffic towards Kabirwlala and Multan had also been suspended from Pirmahal -Faisalabad Road at Head Sidhnai on Ravi due to very high level of floodwater.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2025