• Commissioner says breaches ordered by CM
• Three boys drown in floodwater in Gujrat district
• Palkhu drain overflows near Wazirabad
GUJRAT: The authorities deliberately breached dykes near Qadirabad Headworks in Mandi Bahauddin district and Khanki Headworks in Wazirabad-Gujrat districts to save irrigation system as well lives and properties of people.
Hundreds of villages in Gujrat, Wazirabad and Mandi Bahauddin districts were affected by the high flood in the river Chenab. According to officials, the rescue teams evacuated and rescued more than 1,080 people stranded in the flooded areas along the banks of the river Chenab, whereas 935 animals were also evacuated from at least 66 villages of Gujrat by the Wednesday evening.
The Palkhu drain also overflowed near Wazirabad railway station, and the water entered various parts of the city, including residential areas, as well as Sialkot Road.
Gujranwala Commissioner Naveed Haider Sheerazi, who also holds the additional charge of Gujrat division, said a deliberate breach was caused through a blast on a road in Phalia tehsil of Mandi Bahauddin.
Gujrat Assistant Commisioner Bilal Zubair said the authorities had planned to breach the dyke at Khanki Headworks near Kot Nathu on Gujrat side on water flow reaching 1.1 million cusecs. However, he said, to be on safe side the breach was created around 15,000 to 20,000 below the mark, adding that the water flow was slightly going down by Wednesday evening.
Irrigation officials say that on Wednesday over one million cusec floodwater passed from Khanki Headworks, which was the worst flooding so far in terms of water rising in such a short span of time.
The local population near Qadirabad Headworks was also evacuated by the Mandi Bahauddin district administration in the wake of the deliberate breach.
From Marala Headworks to Kahnki Headworks, the floodwater affected at least 66 villages, which is the worst situation in Gujrat district since the 1992 floods, says Khizer Hayat Bhatti, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue (ADCR).
He added that the rescue and evacuation of the stranded people and their cattle from the riverbed had been continuing for the last 24 hours.
Gujranwala DC Naveed Ahmed, who also holds the additional charge of Wazirabad DC, said the Palkhu drain overflowed at around 35,000 cusecs as its safe capacity was around only 26,000 cusecs. The traffic flow on the road to Sialkot airport, from Shahbaz Pur bridge of Gujrat, as well as from Wazirabad city, has also been affected after a portion of the road connecting Jalalpur Jattan to Sialkot airport, was washed away by the floodwater.
Meanwhile, at least three boys allegedly drowned in the floodwater near two villages of Gujrat.
As per Rescue 1122, in the first incident, Bilal (12) drowned at Nutt Tibba village, whereas two others, identified as Abdul Rauf (13) and Samiullah (12) drowned near Shahbaz Pur bridge near Jalalpur Jattan town.
Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Nurulain Qureshi and District Police Officer Rana Umar Farooq also remained in the affected areas along the river Chenab banks to monitor the rescue and evacuation operations.
Despite warning by the authorities that the people should stay away from the flooded areas, a large number of people, including women and children, from Wazirabad and Gujrat continued to visit the river Chenab bridges on the GT Road, creating hurdles in the traffic flow on the national highway.
According to officials, scores of cattle heads were evacuated by the farmers from cattle farms along the river banks at Mohla, Goraya, Qiladaar, Sandhar and Tarikha villages of Gujrat, where rescue teams also evacuated stranded people.
The administrations of Gujrat and Sialkot districts had also announced local holiday on Wednesday given the flooding of the region.
Meanwhile, Gujranwala Commissioner Naveed Haider Sheerazi said that the breaches near Khanki Headworks was created on the directions of Punjab Cheif Minister Maryam Nawaz to protect further erosion of the land along the river Chenab banks and to save the lives and house houses of the residents.
He was addressing a special meeting at Khanki Headworks late on Wednesday night, where Gujrat DC Nurulain Qureshi and other senior officials were present.
He appealed to the residents of rural areas of Gujranwala, Gujrat and Wazirabad near the river Chenab banks to move to safer places as water level might further rise in the river.
He said the government was making all out efforts to protect people’s lives and properties from floodwater.
Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2025