SAHIWAL: A 30-40 feet breach has occurred on the Lower Sohag Branch Canal near Head Gurudita in Pakpattan, flooding more than 1,000 acres of agricultural land.

Eyewitnesses and villagers said that water that was up to one-foot deep damaged the dirt as well as carpeted roads, houses, crops and in two dozen big and small villages.

The locals accused the district and tehsil administration, irrigation department and emergency services of negligence, stating that officials arrived 15-16 hours later as the breach had occurred on Thursday. They said only 3-4 helpless workers of the irrigation department were present at the breach site but they did not have any material assistance.

The villagers said they were left alone through the night to plug the breach on a self-help basis. Around 100 locals gathered at the site when the canal breach occurred, attempting to block the canal water with sandbags, bamboo, tree branches and tractor trolleys, but their efforts failed against the strong water flow.

They alleged that canal department staff showed non-cooperation, while mud sellers in nearby areas began charging the villagers for tractor-trolleys that they needed to block water from entering their homes and animal farms.

Flood water entered the villages including Bareewala Khooh, Patanga, Akal Garth, Tali Wala Khooh, Head Gurdita, and Check Shahnawaz, damaging houses, graveyards, orchards, and thousands of acres of crops. The affected crops include maize, wheat, rice, fodder, potatoes, harvested wheat straw and wheat bags stored in fields after harvesting.

The officials from different departments arrived at the scene till 10am on Friday. When this report was filed, the villagers were working alongside officials of irrigation, Suthra Punjab, Rescue 1122, Punjab Enforcement Regulatory Authority (Pera) and police to plug the breach.

The sources confirmed Assistant Commissioner Rab Dino Maitlo, SE Mohibullah, and EXEN Irrigation Sabir Hussain reached the site in the morning. Heavy machinery like cranes and dumpers arrived at 10am, 15 hours after the incident.

SE Irrigation Talha told Dawn that the department lacks heavy machinery for such emergencies and must rent equipment from private contractors, causing delays.

EXEN Mohibullah added that water flow from Head Gul Sher was stopped, but due to distance, the impact reached the breach site only after 12-15 hours.

The officials estimated the canal discharge was 350-380 cusecs at the time of breach. They said losses would be assessed after the breach was fully plugged, which they expected by evening.

DROWNING: A 17-hour search operation is underway, but Rescue 1122 has yet to recover the bodies of a mother and her son who allegedly drowned in the Lower Bari Doab Canal on Thursday evening.

Reports said Ahmed, 7, and his mother Aliya, 33, residents of Pul Bazaar, drowned after the boy slipped into the canal while playing near the old bridge.

In a desperate attempt to save him, Aliya jumped into the water but both of them drowned.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2026