An extremely high flood threatens to engulf Jalalpur Pirwala, a tehsil of Multan district, as the rising water level in the Chenab River forces authorities to begin evacuating the city’s 500,000 residents.

 

Multan City Police Officer (CPO) Sadiq Ali Dogar warned that low-lying areas of the city had been inundated and could be completely submerged by night. He said that evacuations from most areas had been completed.

 

Dogar maintained that the water was not advancing towards Head Panjnad and could submerge the entire city, and the administration had called in helicopters to rescue people from hard-to-reach areas.

 

A leading daily English quoted a senior official, on condition of anonymity, as saying that the government attempted to breach a bund to change the direction of the water, however, the villagers did not allow them to do so.

 

The senior official claimed that the government was planning to “save the city by diverting the water towards villages, but did not succeed”, adding that it was not possible to divert the flow since the water had already started entering the city. 

 

Meanwhile, as floods wreaks havoc in major parts of Punjab, torrential rainfall is expected across Pakistan, particularly in Sindh, till Sept 10.

 

In Punjab, rain and thunder showers with isolated heavy falls are expected in Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Okara, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Khanewal, Multan, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan, Rajanpur, Kot Addu, and Dera Ghazi Khan till Sept 9.

 

As per the Meteorological Department, heavy to “exceptionally very heavy falls” are expected in Tharparker, Umer Kot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Khairpur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Matiari, Tando Allayar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Hyderabad, Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Dadu, Kashmore, Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Ghotki for the next couple of days with occasional gaps.

 

The rainfall will occur at isolated places in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, and Wazirabad during the forecast period.

 

In Balochistan, rain with scattered heavy falls is expected in Barkhan, Musakhel, Loralai, Sibbi, Zhob, Naseerabad, Bolan, Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbela, Awaran, Pasni, Makran coast and Gwadar with occasional gaps. In KP, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Swabi, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, and Kurrum will receive rainfall till September 9.