NAROWAL: Citizens have shown concern over lack of repairs of weak embankments along the River Ravi after last year’s flooding caused a dam to break and submerged dozens of villages in Narowal.
Citizens claim that cracks have formed at various places in the Ravi embankments after last year’s flooding and they might face more destruction because of the now weak embankments.
After the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued alerts warning of heavy rains and possible flooding during this rainy season, residents living on the banks of the Ravi fear the incoming monsoon rains.
Locals are protesting against the administration’s incomplete preparations. Residents of Kot Doaba, Dhariwal, Chek Beka, Fatui Chak, Jarmian Singh, Chan Man Singh and Dhadwal villages have demanded immediate repair of the flood embankment.
Local resident Muhammad Hafeez said that the entire area from Kot Naina to Kartarpur was submerged due to a breach of the Bheko Chak embankment last year. He said that dozens of villages were submerged in 4-10 feet highfloodwaters. Thousands of acres of crops were destroyed and a large number of livestock were killed, he recalled.
He said that even now there were dozens of cracks in the embankment. He said that the barriers installed in the river were very weak, due to which they were at risk from flooding.
He accused the irrigation department of using sand and poor soil in the repair of the embankment. The sand and soil used in the River Ravi embankment was not at all capable of stopping the pressure of a nood, he said. He believed the embanlcments were weaker at many places compared to last year.
Narowal Irrigation XEN Ali Raza said that the banks of the Ravi had been strengthened in the district and the Chek Beka dam had been rebuilt. He said that embankments of the riverwerebeingstrengthened and monitored.
Narowal Deputy C o m m i s s i o n e r Muhammad Tayyab Khan was contacted for a comment but did not respond.
Citizens have demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz take notice of the situation and have the authorities strengthen the protective embankments and dam in time to avoid possible flood damage this year with timely repairs.