BAHAWALPUR/ KARACHI  -  Provincial Disaster Management Au­thority (PDMA) Tuesday warned that high-level flooding situation might take place for Bahawalpur re­gion in case of further heavy rainfall in India which already had release water into Sutlej River. 

Official sources in the PDMA said that PDMA’s Board of Revenue, Punjab has wrote letter to Com­missioner Bahawalpur Division and Deputy Commissioner Baha­walpur to make necessary arrange­ments to tackle any emergency like situation if high-level flooding sit­uation might take place in Sutlej river in case of further heavy rain­fall in India. 

The PDMA said that as per the information shared by Pakistan Commission for Indus Water, Indi­an dams constructed on Sutlej Riv­er including Bhakra Dam and Pong Dam had been filled to maximum level due to heavy rainfall. “The Indian dams may cause high-level flooding situation in Sutlej River in case of further heavy rainfall,” the PDMA letter said. It further said that more release from the Indi­an reservoirs may cause any un­toward situation including vast inundation in areas including Ka­sur, Okara, Pakpatan, Vehari, Ba­hawalnagar, Lodhran, Multan and Bahawalpur on Sutlej river. The divisional and district manage­ments have been instructed that in case of high level flooding, a num­ber of societies, small towns con­structed in flood plains and along with Sutlej River may be inundat­ed,” the letter said. Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bi­lawal Bhutto Zardari Tuesday ex­pressed deep concerns over re­ports of breaches in the Sutlej river embankment and demand­ed that people from flood-affect­ed areas be ensured evacuation to safer places. He urged the govern­ment to ensure coordinated mea­sures on a war-footing basis to control the ravages of floods, add­ing, “Measures should be taken to protect large populations like Ba­hawalpur and Ahmedpur Sharqia from the ravages of floods”.

The PPP Chairman directed the party office-bearers and workers to actively participate in the relief ac­tivities in the flood affected areas and cooperate fully with the admin­istration in this regard. 

He said that the government should conduct a survey to estimate the damage caused by the floods, adding that the government should also announce a special package for the Sutlej river flood victims. 

“PPP will not leave the Sutlej river flood victims alone,” he vowed. 

He further said that after win­ning the upcoming general elec­tions, his party would support the Sutlej river flood victims in the same way as it had support­ed the rain victims in Sindh. “PPP will take special initiatives to build houses for the flood victims and to restore agriculture in Sutlej river which has been destroyed due to this flood,” he assured the public.