F.P. Report
LAHORE: Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab Director-General Irfan Ali Kathia on Saturday accused India of providing wrong flood information which led to extra pressure on Pakistan’s river system.
Talking to newsmen in Lahore, PDMA DG Kathia said India did not inform Pakistan about the collapse of dykes on their rivers which put extra stress on our rivers.
Kathia said that high-level flood water is likely to put pressure on Head Sulemanki during the next 48 hours. He said that currently 303,000 cusecs of water is passing through Ganda Singh Wala.
At least 30 people have died due to drowning in the recent floods, according to a report released by the Punjab PDMA. The data also showed that two deaths in Lahore which were due to lightning.
On his part, Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed told newsmen that the compensation for the losses of the citizens and farmers will be ensured.
Kathia said that more villages were evacuated, which were located near River Sutlej as 800,000 cusecs of floodwater will likely reach Head Trimmu tomorrow. He said that 121,0000 cusecs floodwater has reached Shahdara and 220,000 cusecs floodwater is passing through Head Balooki.
Continuing his media talk, Kathia highlighted a “decreasing trend” in the waterflows in the Ravi River at Shahdara. “The largest deluge in Ravi has reached Balloki and has a flow of 211,000 cusecs. It includes the waters from the outfall of Nankana Sahib’s Daek nullah,” he said, forecasting that the waters will increase and ultimately combine with Chenab at Sidhnai Headworks.
He recalled the controlled breaches of protective dykes and said there had been a change in “time lapses”. “From 6am to 9am tomorrow, we are expecting 830,000 cusecs at Trimmu,” he said, praising the authorities for their “timely” decision to blow up dykes to save lives by diverting water.
Kathia said a total of more than 1.5 million people have been affected by the recent floods across Punjab.
Detailing the damages caused by the floods, Kathia said 1,179 mouzas (villages) have been affected on Chenab, 478 villages were “underwater” on Ravi, while 391 were impacted along Sutlej.
Kathia said around 966,000 people were impacted along Chenab, while 232,000 were affected on Ravi. He cautioned that the number of flood-affected people could increase in the coming days. “Similarly, 313,000 people have been affected along Sutlej River,” he added.
Kathia said the floodwaters in the Punjab rivers right now will meet at Head Panjnad on the night of September 4. “It will have a total intensity of 875,000-925,000 cusecs,” he said while speaking to the media.
He forecasted that the waters would then reach Guddu barrage on September 6, with a high intensity of 975,000 to 1,050,000 cusecs due to possible rains.
Kathia noted that Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej were in high flows, which were “now halfway through Punjab”.
