The flood crisis in South Punjab intensified Friday as with the Chenab and Sutlej rivers violating embankments and immersing dozens of villages. This flood spell has charged at least 68 lives throughout the province according to the Provincial Authority of Disaster Management (PDMA) and left the injured scores.
The water from the Chenab river wrapped large parts of Sher Shah in fine. Flood waves up to 12 to 14 feet eliminated dozens of settlements. Ships were convened to evacuate the stranded families, who had rushed their roofs to escape the flood.
The displaced residents of Basti Khoor flooded have established a camp along the embankment of the Sikandari channel, where many families live outdoors. The tents are limited, and cattle and household items are dispersed along a one kilometer stretch near the channel. The rescue and relief teams had not yet reached the site when this report was presented.
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Meanwhile, the Sutlej river swept dozens of villages in the districts of Vehari and Bahawalpur. Hundreds of households, schools and dispensaries were destroyed.
In Vehari, it was reported that the water levels in the head of Islam were 102,000 CUSECs, and more than 335,000 Cusecs in the head of Ganda Singh. The discharge in the siphon of the head stood at 93,000 Cusecs and on the head Mian Haakim Outfall touched almost 200,000 Cusecs. Several protective embankments gave and Kuttabpur Wagi, Jhoke Fazil, Jhoke Jando, Jhoke Sathhu, Kaliya Shah and the villages of Hasan Shah, among others, were completely submerged.
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Similarly, in Bahawalpur, the Sutlej caused generalized destruction with more than 90% of protective embankments collapsing. Flood water rose to more than 100 villages, up to 100,000 CUSECs in Empresas Bridge, for example.
Emergency medical support was implemented through 26 units of “clinic against wheels” and a field hospital in Jhangra Sharqi. Cattle vaccination campaigns were also launched. Some 82 schools became temporary aid camps.
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The district administration said that around 42,000 people and almost 25,000 cattle have been relocated. Floods devastated residential settlements in addition to thousands of sugarcane, corn, sesame and fodder crops.
According to the PDMA, almost 4,000 mouzas (land pieces) have been affected in Punjab, leaving about 3.9 million people affected. Of these, 1.8 million people are evacuaes. Help agencies have established up to 416 aid camps, 356 medical camps and 318 veterinary camps. More than 1.3 million cattle have also moved to a safer land.
Water levels also remained high in Kot Mithan and Rojhan in the Rajanpur district. In the first, the water level was recorded at 490,000 Cusecs. According to PDMA data, since mid -June, at least 183 people have died, 646 wounds and 237 houses have been destroyed in monsoon rains and floods in Punjab. Up to 121 cattle have perished. District data show great losses in Bahawalpur, Muzafargarh and Vehari.