Rains Create Havoc: Swamped Rivers make 1000s homeless in Pakistan
By Waqas Bangash - Pakistan Times Staff Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: With consistent heavy rains in diverse areas of Pakistan, rivers swelled at multiple sites, inundating a large terrain, mostly the rural one—uprooting people in almost five digits on Monday.

The most hit areas where flooded rivers have created havoc are situated in the North Western Frontier Province [NWFP] where relief operations have been stepped up—as a top most priority.

Hill torrents passing through Afghanistan’s three rivers were likely to enter into NWFP late on Monday night, which might aggravate the flood situation in river Kabul.

Engineer Abdul Wali Yusufzai of Flood warning centre here told Geo that the flood waves from river Chitral, Afghanistan’s river Nooristan and river Kunar have already passed through river Kabul, while the torrential onrush of flooded river Ghorband, river Panjsher and river Gulbahar was likely to burst in NWFP province by this evening, raising further the water level in river Kabul by about 6,000 to 10,000 cusecs.

At the same time, water discharges in Indus at Attock rose to 4,63,400 cusecs, at Tarbela fell further to 2,63,100 cusecs and at Chashma lowered to 4,97,479 cusecs, while high-level floods in river Swat at Manda Headworks with water discharge at 50,085 cusecs, flood warning centre reported.

Water discharge in Kabul river at Warsak declined to 93,405 cusecs but still recorded high floods, while high floods in river Kabul at Shah Alam still continued.
Boat turns Turtle

A boat turned turtle hitting the pillar of lift and killed one Gul Faraz at Mustari Banda of Nowshehra area, while Mohibullah is missing. In-charge relief work, Abdul Hadi in Nowshehra told that boats, carrying passengers across the river have been restrained from ferrying more than 9 persons including that of the boatman per trip.

As reported by Pakistan's first independent daily E-newspaper 'Pakistan Times' in its earlier edition of Monday, troops in life jackets are using motorboats to help feed and rescue people marooned by flash floods that have inundated dozens of villages in northwestern Pakistan.

Thousands of people have been forced to take shelter on higher ground, and the waters have washed away acres of maize and tobacco fields, said a relief official in Peshawar.

Fresh rains in neighboring Afghanistan are swelling the Kabul River and “we are expecting more flooding,” said Abdul Wali Yousafzai, an official at the flood warning center in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier province.

The Kabul River and its tributary the Swat have been flooded since around mid-June.

Damage to Crops

Flash floods washed away two homes, several rice paddies and maize fields on Sunday in Swat, a northwestern district where the Swat River originates in snow-covered mountains. No one was reported hurt.

Meanwhile, a flood alert was issued Sunday in the districts of Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera in the North West Frontier Province. Authorities have urged people in villages near the banks of two swollen rivers to move to safer ground.

The provincial government has launched an appeal for financial assistance to provide shelter, food and medicine for flood-hit people.

“We are using our own resources but they are limited. Therefore, the federal government and the international community should help the trouble-stricken people in the province,” said Siraj-ul Haq, the province’s finance minister.

Haq said the worst floods in more than a decade have totally or partially damaged 14,000 homes in the three districts.

Rivers Swell

Fresh rains in neighboring Afghanistan are swelling the Kabul River, which flows into the Swat River. And a report from Chashma says that the water level in the Indus River was rising to a high point as downstream flow from Chashma Barrage has hit alarming 5,45,000 cusecs.

Engineers of Chashma Barrage revealed that the water discharge from Chashma was shot up to 5,45,000 cusecs from 3,40,000 cusecs.

Water flow was swelling with continuous discharge from the Tarbela dam and high flowing Kabul River. Heavy rainfall in upper areas of Pakistan is adding more water to already rising river levels.

Troops were deployed at Dera Ismail Khan from Kohat to meet any flood contingency. District administration has tightened monitoring of the embankments of the river.

All precautionary measures have been taken by the district administration to meet any eventuality in case of flood in the river Chenab in the district. The district has been divided into two sectors and three sub-sectors for ensuring evacuation of marooned villagers in case of flood.

Villages

A press statement issued by district administration says, as many as 1,25,000 villagers in 166 villages in the district are likely be affected. Boats have been arranged and health and veterinary departments have arranged vaccination against contagious diseases.

In case of flood, relief camps would be set up in Pindi Bhattian, Jalalpur Bhattian and Pindi Bhattian. Control Rooms have been set up at Hafizabad (DCO's Office) and Pindi Bhattian (DDO (R)'s office.

With the flood situation in parts of the NWFP getting worst with the each passing day and posing substantial threat to the main cities of the province, the provincial government has eventually appealed to the world community with particular reference to the Islamic countries and the International donor agencies to come to the rescue of helpless affectees of the savage tides.

The districts administrations of Nowshera has also issued red alert in the Nowshera district which is only three feet higher than being submerged by the angry waters where as the DI Khan has already been put on high alert. As per the report of the flood-warning centre both river Kabul and Swat continued to be in very high flood and could inundate vast area any time.

“Hundreds of villages, roads, bridges and standing crops have been inundated by the floods in many parts of the Province with Peshawar, Mingora, Nowshera and Charsadda districts being the hard hit.

45 thousands turn Homeless

Today more then 45 thousands people are reported to have been rendered homeless in flash-flood only in two union councils of district Peshawar where as the Nowshera and Mingora Cities can sink if the water level rises only up to three feet”.

The Frontier parliamentarians had asked from the federal government to release five billion rupees package to effectively carry out the relief operations in the flood hit areas.

Flood relief centre in district Nowshera the water level is 1 lac 67 thousands and 500 cosecs and in the next 24 hours the meteorological department had predicted that it could reach upto 1 lac and 70 thousands cosecs, therefore, the fate of Nowshera city is in danger, said the provincial Minister.

Calling the present floods a record one in the province since 1978, Siraj informed that in 1978 and 1991 floods, which had brought havoc in the Swat the water level was only recorded as 1 lac and 22 thousands cosecs at River Swat.

About 1400 houses in district Nowshera, Charsadda and Peshawar were damaged by the floodwater adding 87 villages have so far been inundated by the flood water which has destroyed standing crops cultivated on 4 lac acres of land.

Update

Latest report of NWFP Flood Warning Centre Peshawar, the Swat River at Munda Head works was in very high flood where the discharge of water was recorded 50680 cosecs, River Kabul at Warsak was in high flood, the discharge of water was 103810 cosecs, Kabul river at Nowshera was in high flood where the discharge of water was 169300 cosecs, Indus river at Attock was in high flood where the discharge of water was 534400 cosecs of water and River Khiali was in high flood, the discharge of water was 52773 cosecs.

Swat River at Amandara Head works was in medium flood, the discharge of water was 35087 cosecs and Kaitu River at Spinwam was in medium flood where discharge of water was 6041 cosecs. Indus River at Chashma and Indus River at Turbela was in low flood, the discharge of water was 398583 and 355900 cosecs respectively.

Flood forecasting division, River Swat is in very high flood at Monda, river Kabul is in high flood at Warsak and Nowshera while Indus is in high flood at Kalabagh with falling tendency.

The river Indus is in medium flood at Chashma and in low flood at Taunsa and Gudu while the rivers Chenab and Ravi are in low flood at Marala and Balloki respectively.

Chashma and Taunsa

A report from Kalabagh says that water level in Indus going down at Kalabagh while medium level flood was reported at Chashma and Taunsa barrages.

Irrigation officials have said the Indus water flow was declining at Kalabagh as the flow went down to 404316 from 413753 CF Monday morning at 06:00 am.

Irrigation Department officials say, the Indus had rose to 497489 cusecs at 12:00 of midnight from previous 491008 cusecs at Chashma Barrage. A heavy water flow of 524769 CF had been passed last evening from the barrage. Presently medium level flood passing through the Chashma Barrage, officials said.

Water was flowing in medium flood in Taunsa Barrage as the water level rose to 375417 cusecs from 330473 cusecs this morning at 06:00 am.

The high water flow in the Indus moving to Punjab’s districts of Bhakkar, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan and Muzaffargarh inundating the surrounding areas.

28 villages of Layyah have been submerged and the troops are launching their rescue, relief and evacuation operation today.

Indus is likely to range between 4,80,000 cosecs to 5,00,000 cosecs (medium flood level) during the period from 1800 hours of July 5 to 1200 hours of July 6.

Local met office says, the monsoon low over western Behar has moved in northerly direction and today it lies over South-western Uttarpradesh.

A well marked seasonal low lies over Balochistan and adjoining areas. Yesterday’s westerly wave over Kashmir persists while south-westerly monsoon is reaching Punjab upto 2000 feet.

Weather pundits say, this weather pattern is likely to cause scattered light to moderate rain over the upper catchments of all the major rivers along with northern and north-eastern Punjab.

Isolated rain is likely to occur over central and south-western Punjab and also over lower Sindh coastal and north-eastern Balochistan and NWFP during next 24 hours.

Meteorological Radar recorded scattered light to moderate rain over Gujranwala, Lahore and Sargodha divisions: isolated light rain was reported from Multan, Faisalabad, Kohat, DG Khan, Rawalpindi and DI Khan divisions alongwith north-eastern Balochistan and upper catchments of the rivers Ravi and Chenab.●