Daud Khel (Zia Niazi): Hundreds of kanals of land belonging to Muhammad Sharif Wali have been washed away due to erosion by the River Indus, while residents are facing round-the-clock threats to their lives and property. The residents have expressed concern that no effective measures have been taken by the administration to address the issue.

These views were expressed by Punjab Assembly Member (MPA) Aminullah Khan (PP-86) while speaking to the media during his visit to Muhammad Sharif Wali, where he inspected the ongoing erosion along the River Indus.

Aminullah Khan said that it is a grave injustice that hundreds of kanals of land belonging to poor citizens have been lost to the river and that people are being forced to migrate from their areas. He alleged that the government has failed to take timely action despite the seriousness of the situation.

He warned that if immediate measures are not taken, there is a serious risk that Muhammad Sharif Wali could also be affected by river erosion. He said that residents are making efforts on their own to protect their area and urged Deputy Commissioner Mianwali Asad Mugsi to take immediate action and save the locality from further destruction.

The MPA stated that in 2013, the PML-N government had approved and allocated funds for the construction of a safety embankment along the River Indus from Jinnah Barrage to Chashma Barrage, but the project has not been completed. He added that during their government in 2018, an embankment was constructed at Dhap Sari to protect the area from erosion at a cost of millions of rupees, which successfully stopped the erosion. He said the project was originally approved for a three-kilometre embankment, but work was halted after the government changed.

He further stated that valuable agricultural lands of Punjab are being washed away and residents are being forced to dismantle their homes and relocate. He said that people living in Muhammad Sharif Wali remain under constant threat as erosion has now reached close to the populated area.

Aminullah Khan urged Deputy Commissioner Mianwali Asad Mugsi to take emergency measures to control the erosion and protect the public from further losses. He also said that he would raise the issue in the provincial assembly so that a permanent solution could be found at the earliest.