12 die, 27 injured in Punjab rains in 24 hours

LAHORE: Twelve people died and 27 others were injured while 14 houses collapsed due to heavy rains during the last 24 hours in various parts of the province.

The dead included five children, three women and four men while three persons died due to lightning in Narowal and Multan districts.

This was revealed in a fact sheet released by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Saturday.

The document, available with Dawn, states that 21 people died, 64 were injured and 35 houses got damaged during the monsoon rains across the province since June 30. The government has announced plans to provide financial assistance to the affected families.

The PDMA has issued an alert, saying more monsoon rains will fall across the province till July 15. It states that heavy rain was recorded in Lahore, Sargodha, Toba Tek Singh, Faisalabad, Kot Addu and Bahawalpur during the last 24 hours.

PDMA issues alert for coming days; govt announces financial aid plan

The rains raised the water level in rivers, barrages and dams of Punjab but the water flow is still normal. The water level in Mangla Dam is 53% and in Tarbela it is 74% while in Indian dams on Sutlej, Beas and Ravi across the border, the level is up to 37%.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said arrangements had been completed in view of the flood risk in vulnerable districts.

“Flood relief camps have been set up in the mountains in view of the threat of flood and there is a fear of urban flooding in Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad and Gujranwala. The administration of big cities is alert in view of the emergency situation while the PDMA Control Room and District Emergency Operation Centres are monitoring the situation 24/7.”

In view of the possible rains, the DG PDMA has issued instructions to the Wasa administration to ensure drainage of water from the low-lying areas, saying that management should ensure the elimination of encroachments from the water channels, rivers and canals.

Meanwhile, the PDMA has also issued warnings about the increase of flow in hill torrents due to the recent rainfall in the Koh-e-Suleiman and directed to initiate extensive preventive measures to mitigate potential flood damage.

The PDMA has alerted the administrations of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts to the heightened risk of flooding. These regions are experiencing a rapid rise in water levels with a torrent of 66,000 cusecs currently passing through the Vador siphon in Dera Ghazi Khan. In response to the imminent threat, the PDMA has begun evacuating populations residing along the hill torrents’ paths to safer locations.

To accommodate the displaced individuals, 200 tents have been dispatched to Dera Ghazi Khan, and government schools in Vador, Sakhi Sarwar and Suri Lound have been converted into relief camps. Additionally, medical camps have been established to provide necessary healthcare services, including livestock medicines and snakebite vaccines.

The PDMA has assured that all necessary aid will be provided as per the requirements of the district administration.

Deputy Commissioner Mehr Shahid Zaman Lak and DPO Syed Ali, along with other relevant officers, are closely monitoring the water flow at the Vador siphon and issuing directives to ensure the safety of the residents.

Relief Commissioner Punjab Nabil Javed has highlighted the importance of expediting preventive measures, stressing the need for vigilance in light of the forecast of medium-level flood.

Alerts have been issued to the commissioners and deputy commissioners of Dera Ghazi Khan, Kot Addu, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, and Layyah to prepare for flood torrents.

The PDMA also issued a report of hill torrent discharge in Rajanpur and DG Khan districts. The Rajanpur district hill torrents Kaha, Chacher, Kala-Bagga Khosra, Sori Janobi, Pitok, Sori Shumali, Zangi and Khumi are flowing normally while Kaura, Vehova, Sanghar, Sori Lund, Vidore, Sakhi Serwar and Mithawan have not yet witnessed any flow in DG Khan.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2024