Embankments being breached to protect major installations, says Azma

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said on Thursday that embankments are being breached to protect major installations, expressing hope that 250,000 cusecs of water will pass through Ravi and Shahdara.

Speaking in a private TV program, the provincial minister stated that protective embankments are also being monitored. Residents are being moved to safe locations before any embankment is breached, and livestock are also being shifted to safety.

She said there is hope that 250,000 cusecs of water will pass through Ravi and Shahdara. Head Qadirabad has a capacity of 900,000 cusecs; a flow of 950,000 cusecs has already passed, after which water levels at Head Qadirabad have started to recede. She added that leaving one’s home to live in relief camps is not easy, but protecting human lives is the government’s priority.

The minister noted that people are standing on embankments to watch the floods, which is dangerous, and children are bathing in floodwaters. “This is no occasion for amusement; people must cooperate with the administration,” she urged.

She further said that conditions in Wazirabad city are normal and water has receded from the city’s main highway.

She also criticised flour mills for making excuses and raising prices under the pretext of flooding. She stressed that the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has zero tolerance on roti and flour prices, adding that despite the floods, wheat production in Punjab is expected to remain abundant.