Torrential monsoon rain in the country and water released by India into Pakistani rivers has led to breaches in various dykes in some areas of Punjab and Sindh, inundating several thousand acres of cultivable land and standing crops. A surge in the level of Sutlej River due to water released by India on Tuesday submerged standing crops in a number of villages in Kasur district, with the district administration giving a final call for evacuation of villages likely to be hit by low-level floods.
The district administration claimed to have completed all preparations to meet any untoward incidents, but was still facing problems in convincing the people to move to safer places. Sources said the water released by India was rain water accumulated at Opra Barrage. Reports said several areas and standing crops had also come under flood water in Narowal and Gujranwala districts. In Sindh’s Badin district, at least five people died in incidents of drowning or electrocution following torrential rain. Although the rain had stopped by evening, water was still standing in brooks and it was being feared that the water might cause more breaches in dykes. More than 500 villages in Badin have been flooded by breaches in canals and drains and heavy rain.
The flood and rain have also resulted in a shortage of potable water and food. In Mirprukhas, devastating rain and flood have rendered the people’s life miserable. Up to five feet of rain water was standing in parts of Jhuddo, Digri, Mirpurkhas, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Hussain Bux Mari and Sindhri. In Hussain Bux Mari, a 200 foot-wide breach had developed in LBOD west branch, inundating a number of villages. About 1,364 cattle have been killed by heavy rainfall and flooding, while 150 poultry farms have also been affected, killing an estimated 150,000 chicken.
