Chenab River flood engulfs Jalalpur Pirwala, over half a million at risk
File Photo
File Photo
(Web Desk): Jalalpur Pirwala, a tehsil of Multan district with a population of around 500,000, faced an extreme flood threat as water levels in the Chenab River surged.

Multan City Police Officer (CPO) Sadiq Ali Dogar reported that large areas of the city were already under water and may be fully submerged by evening. Evacuations were mostly done, but officials warned that floodwaters could sweep through the whole city. Rescue efforts by helicopters were made to evacuate trapped residents from remote areas.

Authorities disclosed that the government tried to break a bund to divert the floodwaters from the city, but local residents stood in opposition to it, fearing that their homes and lands would be destroyed. Accordingly, the flood diversion plan failed, and water kept on entering the city.

To aid rescue operations, three helicopters — two belonging to the army and one belonging to Askari Civil Aviation — were sent by the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

38 boats were also sent as part of the rescue effort, with others in transit. Evacuation has also been ordered in downstream regions such as Muzaffargarh, Alipur, and Jatoi.

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Tragedy befell the rescue when a boat carrying women and children overturned in the Chenab, drowning five individuals, four of whom were children. Multan Deputy Commissioner Wasim Hamid Sindhu confirmed the fatalities and indicated that rescue teams continued to search for others.

Rescue 1122 indicated that the boat overturned when it collided with a tree in the 15–20 feet-deep fast-moving waters.

As per PDMA, over 9,000 individuals have so far been rescued in Multan district, while 350,000 residents and 300,000 livestock were already evacuated early on.