Officials of five districts put on alert

Sunday, August 08, 2010

By Jan Khaskheli

Karachi

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has reportedly put district administrations of Kashmore, Ghotki, Shikarpur, Sukkur and Dadu on alert to keep a watchful eye on the raging flood at Guddu which may cause a breach near the Ghauspur embankment anytime.

“We have asked DCOs from Kashmore to Dadu to put the officials concerned on alert to deal with any situation efficiently. It may be the worst situation,” said a PDMA spokesman.

According to the PDMA official, the water level at Taunsa was 950,000 cusecs which will remain the same in the next three days. “The next three days are very crucial and may cause devastation in Sindh,” he said.

Mohammed Younus Marri from Kashmore told The News that presently three main towns — Old Ghauspur, New Ghauspur and Karampur — and the adjoining villages were under threat and the inhabitants were being evacuated on a war-footing. He said that in case of a breach, Kandhkot and parts of Shikarpur district might be affected by the flood.

He said that continuous rain has affected the evacuation process and relief work in Kashmore and Ghotki districts and other areas.

Government officials claimed that minor leakages in the embankments were understandable because the floodwater has touched the muddy walls after a period of 15 years.

Ishaque Meerani, who was monitoring rescue activities in Kashmore, said that the rising water pressure at the Torhi Bungalow embankment near Kandhkot caused a minor breach, which was being plugged. He said that while he was travelling from Guddu to Torhi Bungalow embankment, he saw hundreds of families crying for food, as they had received nothing so far from the government or any other side. The people, who had ration with them while for safe places, have now gone out of the food stock.

He said that though majority of people from katcha area in Kashmore district had been shifted to safe places, still a small number of people were there, who were reluctant to leave the area.

The News received reports from different areas that owing to the flow of 100,000 cusec at Guddu crossing and rising level in Sukkur barrage, katcha areas of Dadu, Jamshoro and Matiari districts came under water on Saturday morning. Standing crops on hundreds of acres in katcha area and the river bed have been inundated by the flood water. Local people said that due to illegal encroachments on land along the embankments, its bunds have weakened.

The government functionaries have also started to plug leakages in the embankments in Matiari and Jamshoro districts.

Meanwhile, the Sindh Irrigation Drainage Authority (Sida) Flood Information Cell figure released on Saturday said that at Guddu downstream water level was 102,2145 cusec, Sukkur 926,035 cusec and at Kotri downstream 132,660 cusec.
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