Protective embankment breach in Sutlej River submerges 28 villages

(Web Desk): The devastation caused by floods in Southern Punjab continues unabated, where the breach of three sections of the protective embankment of Nauraja Bhatha along the Sutlej River has submerged 28 villages in Multan, Bahawalpur, and Lodhran districts. This has left thousands displaced and caused severe damage to infrastructure.

Flood damage assessment teams have already collected data on 27,500 affected individuals in the first three days.

The Nauraja Bhatha embankment, which had been severely weakened by the pressure of floodwaters, broke at seven points around 20 days ago. This caused many villages to be submerged under 6 to 8 feet of water, including Nauraja Bhatha, Bahadarpur, Jhangra, Kotla Chakra, Tarrot Basharat, Basti Lang, Basti Kano, Depalpur, Kherpur Dha, Kunder, Jhaio, Depal, Deli Rajanpur, Beleywala, Dunyapur, Muradpur, Suiwala, and Subra. The continuous pressure from the floodwaters has caused widespread destruction of homes and property.

The breaches have severely affected the M-5 motorway and the Gilani Road. Water overflowed onto the motorway, creating a lake-like situation between the two highways. Damage was reported at five to six points on the motorway, prompting authorities to create controlled breaches on Gilani Road in an attempt to divert the water toward the Chenab River to avoid further destruction.

As a result, the M-5 motorway has been closed for the past 15 days between the Uch Sharif Interchange and Jalalpur Pirwala, disrupting traffic between Southern and Central Punjab. Thousands of vehicles are stranded, and travellers are being forced to take dangerous alternative routes.

A district administration officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, informed Dawn that although the flow of water in the Sutlej has decreased from 80,000 cusecs to 20,000 cusecs, water is still flowing through the breaches.

Many affected individuals are currently in relief camps in Lodhran, Ahmedpur, and other areas, waiting for the embankment to be fully restored. Water is now flowing through the M-5 culverts toward the Chenab River.

Nawaz Bajwa, Chief Engineer of Irrigation in Multan, reported that four out of the seven breaches in the Nauraja Bhatha flood bank near Jalalpur Pirwala have been repaired, while work is ongoing at the remaining three.

Punjab's Minister for Irrigation, Kazim Ali Pirzada, also stated that efforts to restore the flood banks are ongoing, and the water levels in the affected areas are gradually decreasing. He mentioned that damage estimates are being compiled, and relief packages will be distributed based on these assessments.

The Punjab government began surveying the affected populations on Sunday, though no timeline has been given for the completion of the survey or the payment of compensation. It is estimated that more than four million people have been affected.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was briefed that data on 27,500 individuals, 48,071 acres of submerged land, 8,305 destroyed houses, and 1,712 dead livestock have been collected.

The briefing also highlighted that 1,429 teams are actively working in 26 districts. The Chief Minister directed commissioners, deputy commissioners, and assistant commissioners to provide full support and oversight to these teams.

The Punjab government has announced that 2,200 survey teams, including 10,000 personnel from the Pakistan Army, revenue, agriculture, livestock, and district administration, will carry out this process.

Affected families will be compensated based on the survey report, with 1 million rupees for completely destroyed homes, 500,000 rupees for partially damaged homes, 500,000 rupees for livestock losses, and 20,000 rupees per acre (up to a maximum of 12 acres) for farmers.