LAYYAH: Flood inundated 382 villages and standing crops over an area of 29,551 acres in Layyah.

As much as 490,000 cusecs of floodwater flowed through the river Indus across Layyah on Wednesday. Multan Corps Commander Lt Gen Nadeem Ishfaque visited the flood-affected Bhakkari Ahmed Khan area.

District Coordination Officer Rana Gulzar said 382 villages of riverine belt were inundated by floodwater. The standing crops of cotton, sugarcane, rice and green fodder were damaged. He said 246,000 people were stranded in floodwater and the district government had rescued 5,724 people.

The corps commander said the armed forces of Pakistan were with the flood-affected people in the hour of need.

He directed the district government to take all possible measures to mitigate the miseries of the flood-affected people.

At Bait Guchi and Bait Dewan, thousands of people were stranded and struggling to get out of the floodwater.

Qasim Khan, a resident of Bait Guchi, told this correspondent that there was no fodder for their cattle and they were running short of food. Asked why he did not leave the place, he said he had no money for the transportation of cattle and other valuables to the safer places.

A peasant, Riaz Baloch, said he had lost his six acres of rice crop, 20 acres of sugarcane, 10 acres of cotton and green fodder which had made him bankrupt. He demanded that the government declare the area calamity hit.

District Police Officer Rana Salahuddin said efforts were being made for the protection of the relief camps for the flood victims.

He said 18 police pickets were being established on the protective dyke and 12 mobile vans were on patrol duty round the clock.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2015

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