Flood water touches highest levels in Sukkur, Guddu
Monday, August 09, 2010
Next 24 hours extremely crucial; eight districts on high alert; Sindh embankments declared as Red Zones; over 700 Katcha areas inundated in Khairpur; Sindh minister admits failure in handling floods
By our correspondents,SUKKUR/LARKANA/DADU: Floodwater has touched its highest level of 1,115,210 cusecs at the Sukkur Barrage and 1,128,738 cusecs at the Guddu Barrage with the next 24 hours considered to be extremely crucial.
Officials are predicting an increase in the water level at Guddu and Sukkur Barrages due to the hill torrents and flash water. Hundreds of villages were flooded due to breaches at many protective embankments from Ghouspur, Guddu, B-S Feeder, Bachal Shah Miani embankment and Sindhoja embankment.
Heavy pressure of flood is persisting at Qadirpur Loop protective embankment, Nusrat Loop embankment and Aqil embankment.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, provincial Irrigation Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo, secretary irrigation, and others had been weighing their options to develop breaches in the Ali Wahan embankment and some other embankments so as to save the urban population and business-based areas. The Sindh government has now declared these embankments as Red Zones.
In Rohri, floodwater claimed the lives of six people besides washing away hundreds of cattle. Navy rescue teams of Pano Aqil pulled out bodies of a girl and a woman. The Sukkur Airport is also under threat as due to a breach near Bachal Shah Miani, water is moving towards it.
The doors of the Sukkur Barrage have also been opened, but there was heavy water pressure at the barrage. Shikarpur city is also under the threat of flooding where Sajjan Mahaisar is at high risk of inundation.
District Coordination Officer Larkana Sayed Hassan Naqvi has claimed that eight thousand people had been shifted and evacuated from the Katcha areas to safer places. However,the media team observed that only 60 to 70 men, women and children at two relief camps of New Gudd and Old Gudd village of Bakrani Taluka were evacuated.
Federal Minister for Youth and Affairs Shahid Hussain Bhutto on Sunday visited various sensitive points of the River Indus and affected villages in Katcha areas due to the flood water. On the occasion, Naqvi briefed the federal minister about the situation of flood water in Larkana district.
Earlier, Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro, along with party leaders and workers, inspected protective Akil embankment and Larkana-Khairpur Bridge and reviewed the arrangements of relief camps here at his native village and other locations.
A three-feet hole developed and damaged a part of Larkana-Khairpur Bridge due to heavy rainfall. Heavy rain lashed Larkana and other surroundings areas, inundating several government and private buildings including the Chandka Medical College, Civil Hospital, Shaikh Zaid Women Hospital, Pilot High School, Sambara Inn, Government Degree College, Shahnawaz Bhutto Memorial Library, District Council Office, Larkana, Kausar Mill, Nazar Muhalla, Waleed Shaikh Zaid Colony, Ali Mohammed Colony, Gharib Abad, Lahori Muhalla and various other parts of cities.
Floods also played huge havoc in the Dadu district on Sunday. According to irrigation officials, six lack cusecs of water passed the Indus River here. Some 75 villages of the district Dadu in Katcha area were inundated by the flood water.
DCO Dadu Iqbal Memon also issued another warning that the KT Jatoi embankment may be destroyed and a breach may occur. A 50-feet wide breach occurred at Johi Barrage at RD 42 near village Sahib Khoso after which as many as another five villages were inundated along with hundreds of acres of cultivated agriculture land.
Heavy rain lashed all parts of district Thatta on Sunday. The entire Thatta city was inundated. The Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Saifullah Dharaijo finally admitted that the Sindh government has failed to handle the flood situation. Talking to Reporters at Sukkur, he said that the Sindh government has completely failed to cope with the flood situation. He said that this is a natural calamity and the Sindh government needs the help of the community and donor agencies in this regard.
APP adds: Over 700 villages of Katcha areas of the Indus River have been inundated in district Khairpur during the last three days and the water level is further increasing. All the villages from Baberloi to Sagyoon in Taluka Khairpur, Kingri, Gambat and Taluka Sonbhodero have been inundated.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf has said emergency has been declared in eight districts of Sindh in view of potential floods. Talking to various news channels in Jacobabad, he said there is not a huge threat of flood in Jacobabad and abutting areas but nevertheless, eight districts have been put on a high alert and emergency has been declared there as a security measure.