LAHORE, Aug 31: The Punjab Relief Department has declared 679 flood-affected villages in 10 districts calamity hit under the directions of the chief minister. Presiding over a meeting of the relief committee, relief commissioner Safdar Javed said the standing crop on more than 550,000 acres had been destroyed in the calamity-hit villages. The people in the villages had been exempted from the payment of water tax, land revenue and local development taxes.

Relief director-general Irfan Elahi said 68 villages in Layyah, six each in Bhakkar and Khanewal, 40 in Rahim Yar Khan, 14 in Mianwali, 131 in Dera Ghazi Khan, 61 in Muzaffargarh, 180 in Rajanpur, four in Mandi Bahauddin, 129 in Jhang, two in Sialkot and nine in Multan had been declared calamity hit.

Chief meteorologist Shaukat Ali Awan said no extraordinary rainfall was expected in the province during the next one week. Only isolated light to moderate rain was expected.