Pakistan

City saved from deluge as Johi Branch canal replugged

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Unidentified men create breach in Johi Branch canal.
Scores of residents from nearby areas rushed to plug it.
590 people have died in Sindh from deadly floods, rains.

DADU: Disaster was averted in Sindh’s Johi city Saturday after a breach — created by unidentified men — was replugged, sources in the rivers department said, as the country battles cataclysmic floods.

The breach, which was created a few hours back on the Johi Branch canal, caused pressure on the canal’s ring dyke, which could have led to the drowning of homes nearby.

Scores of residents from nearby areas were seen attempting to plug the breach through their own resources to save the city from sinking, according to Geo News.

Authorities have also made a breach in the Larkana-Sehwan bund to prevent floodwaters from entering Dadu City.

In another incident, flash floods resulted in a breach in the Dal branch and the floodwaters entered a grid station in Bhan Saeedabad and hit the city’s ring dykes.

A large number of people have gathered there and are trying to strengthen its embankments.

It is pertinent to mention here that the water level in Sindh’s two barrages is decreasing rapidly, however, a high flood is currently passing through Kotri Barrage.

The floodwater is overflowing at some points at the Kotri Barrage.

Manchar’s water flowing backward

The diversions made in Pakistan’s largest lake, Manchar, have not worked as the water levels of the Indus River rose and the lake’s water began to flow backwards instead of into the river.

The Indus Link seam drain near Tilti has cracked due to the pressure of the lake water, posing a threat to the city of Bhan Saeedabad, while the displacement of citizens continues.

Strong water flows from Manchar Lake have caused destruction, affecting more than 150,000 people in more than 500 villages across seven union councils in Sehwan.

While the Pakistan Army is conducting rescue efforts in the affected areas, there are many locations where people are trapped in water.

A 150km stretch of land from Qamber Shahdadkot to Manchar Lake is completely submerged and hundreds of villages in the Khairpur Nathan Shah, Wara tehsils, Sujawal, and Dadu tehsils are now underwater.

The bogies of the relief train between Budapur Railway Station and Khaot have derailed as a result of water on the tracks.

The destruction, deaths, economic loss

Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered the disaster that has shown no sign of abating for the last month. The United Nations and Pakistan have linked the extreme weather to climate change; some 600,000 people have fled their homes.

As many as 33 million people of the 220 million South Asian nation have been affected in some way by the floods that swept away houses, roads, railways and bridges and submerged around 4 million acres of farmland.

Pakistan has estimated the financial loss so far at around $30 billion.

Health Minister for Sindh, Azra Fazal Pechuho, said a total of 856,000 patients had been treated since the floods began, mostly at mobile hospitals because more than 1,200 health facilities were under water.

Conditions including dysentery, diarrhoea, malaria, skin diseases, and dengue fever are already widespread, she told a news briefing earlier this week.

As a result of the monsoon rains and floods, a total of 590 people have lost their lives in Sindh, with 12 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s (PDMA) data showed. Some 8,321 people have also been injured.

Latest News

Rainfall throughout the night stops flights in Lahore.

Published

17 hours ago

Farwa

Allama Iqbal International Airport experienced many hours of flight disruption due to the intense rainfall and windstorms that occurred overnight in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab.

Aviation sources claim that because of the monsoon weather, the flight operation was unable to operate between 3 and 4 am.

It is possible that the planes will arrive at the airport at 4 am.

Amidst delays in foreign airline flights, three aircraft made landings in Multan and Peshawar.

Riyadh flights arrived in Peshawar Airport, while flights scheduled to land in Lahore in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain ended up landing in Multan Airport.

Seven hours later than scheduled, the Qatar Airways flight from Doha arrived in Lahore.

Because of the bad weather, there are delays in the arrival and departure of numerous international planes.

Latest News

Changes to Pakistan’s Test team could be significant for the Bangladesh series.

Published

17 hours ago

Farwa

Major changes to Pakistan’s team are anticipated ahead of the forthcoming Test series against Bangladesh, sources in Lahore have revealed.

As the team gets ready for the series, meetings with the players are planned for next week.

It is predicted that the Test squad would undergo several changes. The team’s lineup is expected to be strengthened by the likely inclusion of Muhammad Huraira. Key players like Faheem Ashraf, Wasim Jr., Saim Ayub, and Nauman Ali, whose contributions are vital to the team’s success, struggle to get a spot on the squad.

Furthermore, according to sources, Imamul Haq or Sahibzada Farhan are anticipated to be added to the team, subject to additional assessment. Furthermore, following a fitness assessment, Amir Jamal and Hasan Ali’s futures will be determined.

The ultimate selection for the Test team will take place following Red Ball head coach Jason Gillespie’s return to Pakistan. The ultimate squad that will play Bangladesh in the forthcoming Test series will be greatly influenced by his assessments and thoughts.

Pakistan is scheduled to visit New Zealand in March and April of 2025, according to the country’s official cricket schedule, which was released earlier this month.

Throughout their visit, the Pakistan cricket team will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in an exciting series.

The T20I series, which starts at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on March 16, will serve as the tour’s opening event.

Latest News

PM Meets With KP Lawmakers: Promises Progression and Relief Efforts in Province

Published

17 hours ago

Farwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhawa lawmakers are given assurances by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the province’s development, namely in the amalgamated districts, with a particular emphasis on the provision of standard health and educational facilities.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa National and Provincial Assembly members paid a visit to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at PM House.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister stated that the PML-N Government has always given priority to the development of the combined districts.

The prime minister promised that the combined Districts would have standard health and educational facilities, and that Danish Schools would be established nearby to offer local pupils an education of the highest caliber possible.

The PM also underlined the importance of promoting solar energy, combating electricity theft, and helping the middle class and impoverished.

He said that in order to boost the agriculture sector’s growth, expand the amount of land under cultivation, and reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign fuel imports, the government was converting agricultural tubewells to solar energy nationwide.

According to PM Shehbaz Sharif, the government recently provided significant reduction from electricity rates for those with low and moderate incomes.

At the event, he also announced the creation of a committee headed by the deputy prime minister, whose goal will be to identify long-term solutions to the issues facing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s elected officials.

He argued that in order to preserve the nation from going into default, the current government had to make difficult political choices in order to revitalize the economy.

The parliamentarians gave Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif high marks for his visionary leadership in transforming Pakistan’s economy.