Devastating torrents: Raging waters slam D G Khan, Rajanpur

As torrential rains continued to wreak havoc countrywide, the Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan districts of Punjab, where a state of emergency has been declared, were the worst-hit regions in the country.

Army troops had been called to join rescue work as heavy downpours set off hill torrents in the two districts on Sunday night, while the nuclear facility in D G Khan was also reportedly inundated, causing panic and fear among the concerned authorities, an official told The Express Tribune.

“Wadore torrent (a torrent that comes from the hills and into the river) hit DG Khan for the first time in history, and has devastated the whole city. The length of the torrent is roughly around 45 miles while it is around 15 miles wide. It has inundated a vast area and displaced around 0.7 million people in the area,” said Punjab chief minister’s senior adviser Senator Sardar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa.

The torrent, which flows adjacent to the nuclear installation in D G Khan, was diverted overnight by the concerned authorities towards the city. However, despite this extreme measure, the torrents entered the facility and inundated a vast area of the installation, officials in the local administration, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and the military told The Express Tribune.

The city is protected by three barriers: local bunds, the D G Khan Canal and the railway line, an official said, adding that torrents which pass from Wadore hardly ever reached the D G Khan Canal.

The officials added that the unexpected water flow forced officials at the nuclear facility to direct the local administration to allow the breaching of the D G Khan Canal and the railway lines in order to reduce water pressure on the side of the nuclear installations. More

This is the third year in a row that Pakistan has had devastating flooding. It is readily apparent that the country needs a major initiative in flood mitigation. This can encompass reforestation, and the planting of plants like Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopogon_zizanioides> used in conjunction with on contour swales to control runoff on hillsides that lack vegetation. Several aspects of vetiver make it an excellent erosion control plant in warmer climates. Unlike most grasses, it does not form a horizontal mat of roots; rather, the roots grow almost exclusively downward, 2–4 m, which is deeper than some tree roots.[3] This makes vetiver an excellent stabilizing hedge for stream banks, terraces, and rice paddies, and protects soil from sheet erosion. The roots bind to the soil, therefore it can not dislodge. The plant also penetrates and loosens compacted soils. Editor