MULTAN, Dec 11: A massive hill torrent left nearly 5,000 people shelterless after it engulfed more than two dozen villages of Rajanpur district just hours before the residents were to make preparations for Eid prayers.
Huge stocks of wheat, household items, animals and crops grown over 15,000 acres were swept away by the hill torrent – something least expected in winter. In summer, the drains emanating from Suleman Range (west to east) wreak havoc on Rajanpur villages.
With Tuesday being the Eid day, the administration could not manage relief activities that compounded the problems of the flood victims. Around 5,000 people lost their hearth and home in a matter of moments and had to spend their Eid in the open.
The affected villages and mauzas include Rukh Fazilpur, Chak Pattiyat, Kotla Robait, Chak Hamdani, Dhundi, Nazimabad, Patti Jhomar, Basti Gorkhani, Wah Lashari, Jindu Shah, Hajipur, Chak Sarai, Jahanpur, Muhammad Horra, Mauza Aasni, Fatehpur, Chak Sherai, Kaanwala, Noorpur, Chak Dambar, Bakharpur, Sono Wah, Harand, Chak Haji and Tull Shomali. The road links too disrupted when the Kaha Sultan hill torrent blocked the passages.
Around 45,000-cusec discharge was recorded from Kaha Sultan hill torrent that is a record in the winter season. Neither the district administration nor the irrigation department could forewarn the people, said the flood victims who added: “Had the authorities concerned informed us about any threat in advance, we would have shifted to safer places and averted the large-scale damage.”
Hundreds of people who attempted to migrate along with their families and cattle ended up being displaced. Jan Muhammad Gorkhani, a resident of Kotla Robait, told this correspondent on telephone that they were facing inclement weather in the open as the administration had failed to provide them with shelter and food.
“Most people were still awaiting compensation for the destruction that the summer flood caused. It was not forthcoming despite Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s commitment during his two visits to the district,” he said.
Dera Ghazi Khan Commissioner Hassan Iqbal and Rajanpur DCO Chaudhry Muhammad Amin visited the flood-hit areas. Most victims, however, called it an eyewash as, they said, the officials did not visit the areas where the intensity of the damage and losses was much more.
The hill torrent also caused damage to DG Khan Canal, the under-construction Kachhi Canal and other distributaries after which the authorities suspended discharge of water in DG Khan Canal.
According to an official handout issued on Thursday, the commissioner and the DCO were informed that the flood inundated seven villages (having standing crops over 4,000 acres).
The commissioner said the losses would be assessed after lowering of the water level and efforts would be made to compensate the victims. He said he had directed the officials to set up relief camps.