JHANG/MULTAN: Almost 80 per cent population of Hazari and Ahmedpur Sial tehsils have vacated the area along with their valuables and cattle heads after the news of breaching the Trimmu right marginal dyke in order to save Trimmu Headworl(s and the Jhang city.The proposed breach is likely to inundate,asit didin1973 and1992, an area which is in size not less than North Waziristan and has a population of more than half a million people. It is almost 80pc of NA-91 in population and area. This is a 100-km long stretch starting from JhangKhushab Road and going along Jhang-Muzaffargarh Road. The Chenab is on the left side and on the right high lands of Thal desert are 10cate d, leaving very little room for the gushing water discharged from the breach to spread.

Besides fertile agricultural land,the area has two sugar mills and a number of cotton ginning factories, oil mills, rice factories and markets.

The district administration of Multan meanwhile fears high-risk flood with combine thrust of Chenab, Jhelum and Ravi threatening to attain the level of 800,000 cusecs.District Coordination Officer Zahid Saleem Gondal on Sunday said the district had been put on flood emergency and the people living in riverine belt had been asked to vacate the area and shift to safer places. `The people who are refusing evacuation will be shifted with thehelp of law-enforcement agencies as section 144 has already been imposed.`He said the process of establishing relief camps and tent villages in government buildings and other private places would be completed within a couple of days.

He said 16 flood control monitoring camps were being established while four bulldosers -two for Head Muhammadwala and one each for Shujabad and Jalalpur Pirwala -had been arranged.

He directed the authorities concerned to remove sand along the canal bridges for smooth flow of water.

He said the Chenab had attained flood level of 800,000 cusecs at Head Marala and if the waters of the Jhelum and Ravi rivers joined the Chenab, the district could face high-level flood.

He said the survey of all protection dykes in riverine area from Band Bosan to Sher Shah had been completed and the places to make cuts in case of any emergency were also identified.

He said the district government was going to establish 22 relief camps and tent villages in which all the government departments, including Rescue 1122, Civil Defence, health and towns would establish their camps.

He said additional machinery including cranes, bulldosers, boats, tents and ration packets had been received from the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.