950807

Indus still

a threat to

adjoining areas

ALMAS A KHAN

LAHORE: The river Indus was in exceptionally high flood posing a constant threat to the surrounding areas of Guddu, and Sukkur where water discharge was recorded 930,495 and 985,929 cusecs respectively, in the evening, flood warning officials said.

He said that the river Indus would remain in this stage for more five to six days. The river Ravi was flowing in very high flood at Sidhnai where the water discharge was recorded in the evening at 79213 cusec. It may be mentioned here that the river at this point was in very high flood for the last five days and the authorities saved the Sidhnai headworks by discharging waters from the spill channels.

Meanwhile, the Director National Flood Forecasting Bureau, Abdul Majid said that the Punjab province would be flood-free within a week as the peaks have already passed through Ravi and Chenab heading towards Sindh where the Indus was already flowing in exceptionally high flood at Guddu and Sukkur.

The river Chenab was flowing in exceptionally high flood at Panjnad on Monday morning. However, it was gradually falling. Till filing of this report it was in very high flood with a water discharge of 429,000 cusec at Panjnad.

The director said that the seasonal low over east Punjab and Lahore division has further seasonal low continued to be well marked.

"A system that has been causing heavy rains in Lahore and its suburbs now seems to have fizzed out after reaching the upper catchment areas of the Ravi.

A low pressure circle currently centred around the Indian state of the Uttar Pradesh is, however, moving in a north westernly direction. Abdul Majid said if uninterrupted, the low can cause heavy rains in the upper catchment of the river Sutlaj.

The relief department of the Punjab has released the latest figures of the damages caused by the recent rains and floods.