SIALKOT, Feb 15: The Sialkot district government's officials concerned have failed to initiate repair work on a wooden bridge on the Tavi, which had collapsed eight days back due to low flood caused by recent heavy rains, disconnecting as many as 85 border villages in the Bajwat area from the rest of the district.

The 36-meter-long wooden bridge was recently rebuilt by the villagers on a self help basis over the Tavi near Saidpur Pattan. It had collapsed due to the low flood in the river due to the ongoing spell of heavy rains in Sialkot region.

The flow of water was 42,000 cusecs in the Chenab near Head Marala, causing a low-level flood in Tavi and Jammu Munawar rivers. The people of these villages remained unable to come to the Sialkot city and its surrounding areas for work.

The local boatmen operating across the river refused to transport people and goods, terming it risky to row in the fast flow of floodwater in the Tavi, leaving the villagers stranded.

The district government authorities told this scribe that the water level was continuously soaring up in all the rivers and seasonal Nullahs in Sialkot district due to heavy rains. They confirmed that although the speed of the floodwater was getting gradually slow, the water level was continuously soaring up, turning this situation alarming.

Meanwhile, heavy rain kept lashing the entire Sialkot district on Tuesday. The rain started early in the morning, and continued the whole day, intermittently, inundating all the low lying areas, paralyzing all the civic and trade activities, besides, making the weather chillier.

The attendance in all the government and private educational institutions and offices remained thin due to the day-long rain. All the low-lying parts in the Sialkot city, including the district jail, the district courts, the railway station and the Jinnah Stadium, were inundated due to heavy rain, exposing the poor performance of the tehsil municipal administration.

It rained 42mm in the Sialkot city, cantonment, Daska, Bhopalwala, Sambrial, Uggoki, Chawinda, Badiana, Pasrur and their surrounding areas on Tuesday. The Sialkot Met office has forecast more light to heavy rain in Sialkot and Narowal districts during the next 24 hours.