BAHAWALPUR: The livestock department has established 51 camps for the animals in the Bahawalpur division`s areas facing the flood threat due to rising water levels in the Chenab, Sutlej and Indus rivers.

According to livestock department officials, 13, 19 and 19 relief camps have been established in 12, 18 and 21 union councils (UCs) of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan districts, respectively, deploying total 26 veterinary of ficers and 96 assistants there.

The officials told Dawn that these camps would have ample stocks of emergency medicines for the livestock in case of flooding in these areas.

In addition to it, they claimed that 13 government-run veterinary hospitals, 42 dispensaries, 20 veteri-nary centres and 13 mobile dispensaries in the division have been placed at the disposal of the livestock of ficials for provision of emergency treatment to animals in the areas faced with flood threat.

Because of the ongoing rain spell, the irrigation department did not rule out flood situation in the river Chenab near UCh Sharif and Ahmedpur East, river Sutlej in Bahawalnagar district and river Indus in Rahim Yar Khan district.

Meanwhile, Bahawalpur Saddar Assistant Commissioner (AC) Muhammad Tayyub, along with District Emergency Officer Baqir Hussain, distributed life jackets among the divers, boat drivers and the locals residing near Magwani Pattan on the river Sutlej near Dera Bakha, about 15kms f rom here.

The life jackets are given to the people who have to cross the river, that is in high-flow now a days, fre-quently in boats and through a boat bridge on the Magwani Pattan to save their lives in case of any emergency.

The AC directed the boat drivers not to overload the boats to ensure safety of the passengers.

TWO DROWN: A man and a minor girl drowned in the river Sutlej in separate incidents on Monday.

According to Rescue 1122, 10-year-old Bakhtawar of Bhindha village was cooling off in the river water near Ameenpur on Jhangiwali Road when strong currents pushed her into deep waters, where she disappeared. Rescue 1122 divers were looking for the girl till the filing of the story.

In another incident, a man Tariq drowned while crossing the river near Nawabpur Pulli, Mauza Mari Qasim Shah.

The divers retrieved the body from the river and handed it over to the family of the decease man.