KASUR / NAROWAL: On Monday, more people were evacuated as the increased water entering rivers from India continued to threaten villages along the banks.
According to APP, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the authorities to make foolproof preparations to handle a potential flood situation in the rivers of the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej.
On Monday in Narowal, Rescue 1122 evacuated 236 people, 16 of whom were children, from areas near the Ravi river.
Rangers assisted in moving the families to secure locations, according to Harmat Ali, the Rescue 1122 spokesman in Narowal.
Locals in villages along Ravi asked to ‘prepare for evacuation’; PM wants ‘foolproof arrangements’
As the water levels in the rivers rose to dangerous levels on Sunday, at least 95 people—five of whom were Rangers personnel—stranded close to the Ravi and Tawi rivers were rescued.
The water flow in the Ravi river close to Shakargarh tehsil has decreased from 75,000 cusecs on Sunday night to 23,000 cusecs on Monday evening, according to Narowal Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ashraf.
DC Sialkot The combined flow of the Chenab and Tawi rivers at Head Marala was 176,940 cusecs on Monday, according to Adnan Mahmood Awan. He claimed that the district administration was ready to handle the situation and that all water bodies were carrying normal flows.
in villages close to the Ravi river near Kasur, authorities made announcements through mosque loudspeakers asking locals to be ready for relocation in case water level rises above the low-flood level.
According to the Kasur district administration, India released 65,000 cusecs of water on Monday at 3:47 p.m. from the Ferozepur Headworks in Punjab. In 19 hours, the water was supposed to get to Ganda Singhwala, which is close to Kasur.
The Talwar Post region, where the water level was 18 feet, 1.5 feet below the low-level flood, has relief camps and motor boats set up by the administration.
People in riverside villages, hamlets, and low-lying areas have been told to prepare for evacuation within the next 24 hours, according to Assistant Commissioner Rizwanul Haq Puri.
The Bhikiwind post and its neighbouring villages, such as Chanda Singhwala, Gati Klunjer, and Chhant, where the water current increases as a result of a squeeze in the river bed, were the primary focus for the time being, he said.
According to a spokesperson for the district administration, the Sutlej river in Bahawalnagar rose to 16 feet near Head Ganda Singh due to increased water inflow from India.
In the last 12 hours, the river’s water level has increased by three feet. The administration asserts that plans have been made to handle any emergencies following the river’s flooding.
On Monday, the Chenab river in Gujrat experienced a low-level flood from Marala to Khanki headworks.
Gujrat DC Safdar Virk briefed Gujranwala Commissioner Naveed Sheerazi and Regional Police Officer Dr. Haider Ashraf about the potential flood situation and evacuation plans before they visited areas along the Chenab river.
The DC informed Dawn that the Marala headworks’ water inflow was approximately 176,000 cusecs. The flow was 193,000 cusecs at Khanki and 186,000 cusecs at Qadirabad headworks, respectively.
The commissioner in Lahore asserted that the Ravi and Sutlej rivers’ flood situation was not concerning.
In an interview with Dawn on Monday, Muhammad Ali Randhawa said, “If you study the data, India released 172,000 cusecs last year, which reduced to 60,000 cusecs at Jassar point and 31,000 cusecs at Shahdra [in Ravi river].”
He added this time India has so far released 182,000 cusecs which reduced to 65,000 cusecs at Jassar and 35,000 cusecs at Shahdra. “Similarly, the release rate in Sutlej was also low,” the commissioner said.
PM calls for ‘foolproof’ arrangements
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the relevant authorities to be ready with foolproof plans for the timely and safe evacuation of people from the affected areas, he said on Monday.
The PM Rangers and Rescue 1122 personnel for timely evacuation of the people trapped in flood water in Shakargarh.
“I along with the whole nation pay tributes to the country’s dutiful personnel”, he remarked.