MULTAN: A section of the eastern side of the M5 Motorway in Jalalpur Pirwala has been washed away by floodwaters, the Chief Police Officer (CPO) said.
Earlier, the western section of the motorway had also been swept away. The CPO said floodwaters from the River Sutlej are now flowing rapidly towards the Chenab.
Motorway police and National Highway Authority (NHA) staff are on site with machinery to control the damage. Stones are being placed in the breached sections to reduce the flow of water and protect the motorway.
A medium-level flood situation persists at Sukkur Barrage, officials said.
According to barrage authorities, water inflow at the barrage has been recorded at 420,470 cusecs, while outflow stands at 367,090 cusecs.
They added that water flow has dropped by 79,000 cusecs over the past 24 hours, with 53,000 cusecs currently being supplied to the barrage canals.
Authorities have yet to decide whether to breach the M5 Motorway in Jalalpur Pirwala tehsil to ease rising floodwaters.
A committee reviewing the proposal has not concluded. The deputy commissioner said, “The committee and experts assess the flood situation twice daily, and any decision on cutting the motorway will be based on their advice.”
Meanwhile, the M5 Motorway between Multan and Sukkur remains closed for the seventh day due to flood damage near Jalalpur Pirwala.
Efforts to protect the motorway continue, with stones being placed on vulnerable sections, while traffic is being diverted to alternative routes.
Flooding has worsened in Sindh’s Dadu district, where the number of affected villages has reached 50. A powerful flood surge from Mehar tehsil slammed into the protective embankment near Sehwan in Larkana on Saturday.
The impact sent water spilling into three nearby villages and submerged connecting roads. In the riverine area of Nayo Goth, floodwater swept through homes and even a basic health centre.
Further north in Naushahro Feroze, a breach opened in the loop embankment, flooding villages near Bakhri. But Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro insisted the main embankment near Bakhri on the Indus River remained completely intact and there was no breach.
Sindh’s senior minister Sharjeel Memon said that so far 185,550 people have been moved to safe locations across the province. He added that protecting the lives, property and livestock of those affected remains the government’s top priority.
