By Now, Everybody has seen the enduring photos of gurdwara darbar sahib at kartarpur submerged in floodwaters. That is the story of how we get these photos, and what I noticed together with the way in which.
The primary Photographs from Kartarpur appeared on social and mainstream media on Wednesday. These have been filmed by rescue officers throughout efforts to evacUate housesholds on the premises – The households of the shrine’s caretakers and others.
They have been all evacuated by boat, because the water lead within the kartarpur complicated was to be excessive to enterprise in some other method.
We arrived in slim after dusk on Thursday, and Regardless of requires from our newsroom, we have been unable to immedeletly safe any use pictures.
Though Narowal Metropolis was spared, its suburbs and the Villages and Tehsils on its outskirts bore the Brunt of the Waters That Got here Pouring Out of the Ravi and the Half A Dozen Rainweather Drains (Nullahs) That comply with. The district from India. These contains Nullah dek, Basanter, Baen and auj.
Abid Mehmood, Our Correspondent within the Space, Described their Circulation Thus: “Auj and Baen Enter the Ravi in Shakargarh Tehsil Earlier than Kartarpur, Whereas Basanter Enters the River After Kartarpur. Of the floodwater within the ravi pushed again the water in these brought on extra injury. “
At this level, he says, the river has the capability of round 150,000 cusecs, but it surely overflowed its banks up on 250,000 cusecs.
Attending to the gurdwara was no simple activity. Drenched from the Chest Down, I maintain my Digital camera alift Above My Head as we hung onto a tractor trolley that was ferrying locals to and from the flooded villages round kartarpur.
The trolley was crammed to the brim, however I managed to discover a household and held on for pricey life. Flaws, locals attempting to flee the Waters Would Name Out to Me: “Don’l GO, You’l Fall,” Watch Your self “Are essentially the most print of the refrains Yelled my method as we traded In direction of the gurdwara.
Together with the way in which, the tractor trolley photable up increasingly marooned folks. Though Authorities had mandated evacuation, there have been nonetheless some holdouts who refused to go away their houses.
It was solely after their homes have been submerged that folks realised their mistake; I Heard many a cry of “we’re doomed” and “All the pieces is gone” from the roadsides.
Within the mooring, once we lastly make it to Kartarpur Complicated, the one solution to strategy was by boat. We’re popping out our car round 1.5km AWay on Shakargarh Highway and Boarded a Rescue Boat, which activity us to the gurdwara it.
By this time, the Construction Had has evacuated; Even the Safety Examine Posts have been submerged and empty. The primary darbar on the bottom ground was inundated, with the higher storey untouched by the floodwaters.
Our Method Again, the Daylight Supplied Some Sobering Perspective. There was solely water throughout so far as the attention couple see, Submering Fields and Villages ALIKE.
However there was nonetheless hope. Hiace Vans Had been Now Ferrying Stranded Folks to and Fro These have been being operated by singer Abrarul Haq’s Charity – The Sahara Belief – which additionally runs a Hospital within the district.
Account to our correspondent, abid, the floodwaters Hadn’t affected narrowal metropolis as badly; It was the suburbs and Villages on the outskirts that bore the brunt of the injury. Accorder to 1 estimate, at Least 145 Villages have been impacted, and their crops destroyed.
Abid Says That Water is Slowly Recedure from the Rural Tehsils, However It has already brought on Vital Injury to Agriculture, Espectly Rice and Fodder Crops, As Properly As Properly As Infracrature, Together with ROADS. “Narowal-Shakargarh Highway was Closed which Narowal-Zafarwal Highway was submerged within the floodwater making Journey on Eriter inconceivable.”
In his phrases, locals know that if there’s extra heavy rainfall within the Ravi’s Catchment Areas (in India -ld Kashmir), it Might Show Harmful For Narowal. But when the downpour is not torrential, issues shall be positive.
Saba Chaudhry, a Freelance Journalist Based mostly in Narowal, Instructed Daybreak She was in Noorpur Village Close to Shakargarh when the flood from Nullah Dek Hit the isa. Her Village Remained Protected As It Was Positioned On Greater Floor, However There Was Was Floodwater All Round.
“The primary street on manzoorpura plot was fully submerged in two to 3 toes Deep water.”
Noorpur and its surrounding Villages Turn into Disconnected from the District Headquarters, Making Journey in and Out inconceivable.
On Friday, three days after kartarpur and her veillage have been submerged, she visited the gurdwara.
“The authorities had managed to empty the water from the complicated, however floodwater nonetheless surrounding the builting,” shears, including that on the roads have now now.
Revealed in Daybreak, August 30, 2025
