Niki Tawi (J-K) , Feb 21 : India and Pakistan officials attended a high-level meeting of the Indus Water Treaty Commission in Jammu to discuss a proposal by India to erect a dam on the river …
Jammu, Feb 20 : A three-member high level team from Pakistan sought document of no violation of Indus Water Treaty in the ongoing construction work of an artificial lake in River Tawi in this winter …
BRISBANE: Australia’’s third-largest city Brisbane awoke to a “war zone” Thursday with whole suburbs under water and infrastructure smashed as the worst flood in decades caused wide destruction. Frightened evacuees surveyed the damage after floods that have swept eastern Australia peaked about a metre (three feet) below feared levels around dawn, sparing thousands of properties in the besieged river city. State premier Anna Bligh said relief was tinged with despair at the damage to homes and major city landmarks, as well as the scale of the “post-war” rebuilding effort ahead. “It’’s a very mixed story here today, there is some relief and I”m grateful Mother Nature hasn”t been as terrible as she could have been, but people are waking up to unbearable agony across our city today,” Bligh told media. “We”ve seen scenes of unbelievable devastation and destruction: entire suburbs where only rooftops can be glimpsed, whole big workplaces… are completely under water.” “Whole industrial parks (and) railway stations under water, bridges, roads all closed… What I”m seeing looks more like a war zone in some places,” she added. The swollen river was already beginning to slowly recede, but the stricken and nervous city was reeling from damage wrought by the waters that have already deluged many areas of Brisbane. A massive 300-metre (300-yard) stretch of a popular concrete walkway that was perched above the river and was popular with walkers and cyclists, was ripped from its moorings and hurtled down the river. A well-known floating restaurant was among dozens of vessels and pontoons also sent speeding down the waterway, while the downtown Suncorp Stadium resembled a giant swimming pool and the XXXX brewery closed its doors. Brisbane’’s cosmopolitan city centre remained a “ghost town” after office buildings ordered workers to stay away and power was cut to more than 100,000 properties in the region. Brisbane River, which runs through the centre of the state capital of two million people, peaked at 4.46 metres (14 feet eight inches) at around 5:15 am (1915 GMT Wednesday), below levels that devastated the city in 1974. Residents breathed a sigh of relief as they woke up to the news that they had dodged the worst case scenario. “It was worse in ”74, a lot worse,” said John McLeod, security director of the Stamford Plaza hotel, which lies near the Brisbane River in the city centre and which was forced to close due to flooding. “I slept only one hour last night. We have 3.5 metres of water in the basement. The hotel will stay closed at least for another 10 days,” he told media. But forecasters said the river would stay above major floods levels for at least a day and remain high over the weekend. And Bligh cautioned that a return of torrential rains that have battered the state could bring fresh danger. “People are seeing (flooded) houses on their TV screen: multiply that by hundreds, and that’’s thousands and thousands of people. In a modern capital city these are the sort of scenes you don”t expect to see,” she said. Some of Brisbane’’s inundation was related to flash floods that hammered towns high in the Great Dividing Range to the city’’s west on Monday, leaving at least 12 dead as rescuers comb wrecked communities for more bodies. Police were investigating whether the death of a man in his 50s in the town of Ipswich, west of Brisbane, was flood-related. A total of 23 people have died in floodwaters that have turned an area twice the size of Texas into a disaster zone, following months of heavy rains blamed on the La Nina weather phenomenon.
ISLAMABAD: The hearing on the objections raised by Pakistan over construction of Kishan Ganga dam is going to kick off on January 14 (Friday) in The Hague, Holland, Geo News reported. The Ministry of Water and Electricity told Geo News that Pakistan’s delegation led by Kamal Majeed will depart for Hague today. Pakistan hired services of a UK counsel Wan Loo in the lawsuit against India, sources said. Pakistan would present her viewpoints and would also put forward objections over construction of dam before a UK’s Mediation Court in The Hague, city of Netherlands. In the case, Pakistan objected to the location and placement of Kishan Ganga Dam to be built by India as it would affect water supply to a big farming area abutting River Nelum.
LAHORE: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minster Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan has said that India was planning to construct about 250 small and big dams over River Chenab that would aggravate the water situa
MUZAFFARGARH/SUKKUR: Hundreds of thousands of flood victims are desperately awaiting relief as first day of this year’s holy month of Ramazan dawned across the country on Thursday. The flood water, after inundating most of the Kutcha area in interior Sindh, is now making its way towards the cities while a heavy flood is being feared to pass from Chenab River at Head Khanki in the next few hours. A massive stream of 1.97 million cusec water is currently passing from Sukkur Barrage while a heavy flood of 976,870 cusecs is running from Guddu Barrage. 1.72 million cusec water is being released from Sukkur Barrage to Kotri Barrage. Flash floods have swept away most of the Kutcha area in Sukkur, Kashmor, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Larkana, Naushehro Feroz, Matiari, Dadu and Ghotki. And now the water is heading towards cities. Relief camps with availability of food and basic amenities have been set up in many parts of the affected areas but thousands of people are still trapped in flood waters spreading across many miles. Chief Secretary Sindh Fazl-ur-Rehman Thursday said that people living in Kutcha areas will have to be shifted to safer places and those who are reluctant to move will forcibly be evacuated by the Army personnel and Rangers. He was talking to media men after receiving a briefing on the flood situation by the district administration and Department of Irrigation here at Makli. Fazl-ur-Rehman said a medical aid facility will be made part of every relief camp which will be working round-the-clock. The floodwater in Rajanpur’s worst affected areas of Jampur and Kot Mithan could not be drained out as yet and still both cities are water-locked under several feet of water. Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts are still cut off from the rest of the country for the fifth day now, as Indus Highway and Multan Road were washed away. The high tide, having rampaged Shah Jamal area of Muzaffargarh, is at five kilometers away from Khangarh at Sheikhpur, where it has breached local nullah on three points. Thousands of flood-thrashed people are waiting for government succor and evacuating to safer locations on self-help basis. The operation to rescue the flood-stranded people in Adda Baseeran is in progress. The River Chenab is witnessing tide after tide. But, according to Irrigation department, the biggest tide will pass through River Chenab at Head Khanki today, for which the district administration has taken up all necessary arrangements. The breach in Bhong protective embankment in Rahim Yar Khan tehsil of Sadiqabad, could not be plugged as yet, allowing the unleashed water to approach near National Highway on Sindh-Punjab border. The administration could not make any arrangements as yet to plug the embankment.
SUKKUR: Several Katchi Abadies have been inundated in Sindh due to fierce floodwaters but water level is being seen declining at Guddu Barrage, sources told Geo News. However, the water pressure is still surging on Sukkur Barrage meanwhile Pakistan army has commenced relief operation in villages along Sukkur district in view of potential floods, which may inflict havoc due to cracks on city’s security wall built alongside River Indus. Thousands of people are still trapped in Katchi Abadies in Ronti area of Ghotki District, which have not received any relief for want of boats, sources said. 50 villages have been flooded in Thal locality near Jacobabad due to 100 feet wide hole in Illaabad canal, which has destroyed crops stretched on thousands acres of land. According to Irrigation Department Larkana, over 80 villages have been submerged under water.
QUETTA: The River Nari in Balochistan is being seen in high floods at Kachi place following entry of 80,000 cusecs of floodwater tide at Nari Bank near Sibbi, Geo News reported. Meanwhile, flood warning has been issued in Sibbi and Kachi villages as 10 villages have been inundated in Loni locality of Loralai, trapping hundreds of people in floodwater. Several mud-made houses have been washed away in villages across Sibbi, prompting authorities to dispatch rescue teams comprising FC personnel into affecteed areas. According to sources, River Nari is being seen in high floods at Kachi place while a huge floodwater tide of 1,70,000 cusecs of water has been anticipated to pass through Nari Bank in Sibbi. District administration has issued flood warnings in villages abutting Sibbi, which included Machri, Haji Sher, Looni and others while residents have been ordered to vacate the villages.
MUZAFFARGARH: The people affected by recent rains and flooding in various Punjab areas are still waiting for the government aid, Geo News reported Sunday. At least six people were drowned when their boat capsized in Rajanpur area of Jampur. In a bid to save Ada Basera, Chawk Qureshi and Ghazi Ghat Bridge, a breach was made near Ghazi Ghat Bridge in Dera Khazi Khan-Muzaffargarh road near Muzaffargarh cutting off ground links to Dera Ghazi Khan. The local administration said it was not appropriate to cause a fissure at the place; but, local MNA Jamshed Dasti and the residents brought private machinery and worked up a rift there, causing to cut off all ground links to Dera Ghazi Khan. And, the relief teams are facing difficulties to forge ahead. The flood torrents from River Sindh and Suleman Mountain Range inundated more areas in Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan. Also, Wodor Stream is in high flood in Dera Ghazi Khan. People in large number are relocating on self-help basis from Jampur, Kot Mithan, Jakra Imamshah and Tuansa. High flooding has hit Head Khanki and Head Qadirabad at River Chenab after inflow of torrent of 350,000 cusecs. At least 20 villages were deluged, as protective embankment of Kala Shadian near Qadirabad caved in. Flood warning has been issued in localities of Ada Basera and Chawk Qureshi after water rose to unprecedented level in Muzaffargarh Canal. Parco has been closed as the water entered the residential area of Parco in Gujrat. Several families stranded in Mehmoodkot Railway Station are still waiting for relief activities. Meantime, various localities in Jhang near Fatahpur were inundated, as Raj B was breached on three points. Trimu Headworks is running at present with flood of medium level.
Mighty River Indus continued inundating the areas in Sindh along its path towards south of the country as rains augmented threat to millions of more people