RAHIM YAR KHAN: As 1.2 million cusecs of floodwater is expected to cross the river Indus near Chachran in the next 36 to 48 hours, whereas nine out of the total 24 bays of the Benazir Shaheed Bridge have been completely choked by sand and silt which can cause flooding in the nearby areas.

Warning of the danger, a letter was sent from the RY Khan Irrigation superintendent engineer (SE) to the National Highway Authority (NHA) Punjab-South general manager on July 11, 2025. It warned that the build-up at the bays of the bridge was creating an afflux upstream leading to stress on the river’s training structures and Minchin Flood Bund.

The letter said that a team of experts had visited the bridge, which connected RY Khan with Rajanpur district, and observed that water was flowing through only 15 bays out of the total 24. The approximate discharge through the bridge was 225,000 cusecs. It was observed that a total of nine bays of the bridge were chocked. It said the choked bays were facing the Bela Formation of the river.

The visiting officials recommended that to mitigate the issue at hand, a fresh model study was needed based on the current river flow trends and morphology for a long-term solution. The team also proposed a temporary solution for the current season and suggested to strengthen and restore the apron along the upstream guide bank.

Nine bays of the bridge found to be choked; No action taken on earlier warning of the danger

However, no action was taken by the authorities on this proposal.

Talking to Dawn, Irrigation SE said that the left guide bank of the Benazir Bhutto Bridge was also damaged. He said that the bridge was not in danger, but the flood might impact the Minchan Bund.

Meanwhile, RY Khan DC imposed Section 144 and a flood emergency in the district. He said that if the current flow continued in Chenab and Indus, their combined thrust would reach the district with greater intensity than the 2010 flood.

He said 95 mouzas (villages) of the district might be affected. He said that 325,000 people lived in the riverbed mouzas with their 557,000 livestock. The DC said that assistant commissioners with the help of police would ensure evacuation, as saving precious lives was the first priority of the government. He said 21 relief camps had been established in four tehsils.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2025