March 25, 2007	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 5, 1428

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UBAURO (Ghotki), March 24: Twelve villages of Kutcha area have been permanently inundated and standing crops over hundreds of acres of land damaged during the last eight months as Indus River has changed its course near here.

A large number of villagers who lost everything in the disaster are compelled to live under open sky but the Ghotki district government has failed to provide them any relief. As a result, scores of affected people have started migrating to other areas.

The Indus River has been changing its course near Pakka Chandio union council in Deh Pandh near Ubauro.

The affected villages include Mirali Mazari, Haji Sodho Mazari, Wali Mohammad Mazari, Amanullah Mazari, Mauj Ali Mazari, Sanwal Solangi, Allah Dino Solangi, Ghazi Mirbahar, Mohammad Ali Mazari, Hashim Mazari, Abdul Ghani Mazari and Ghulam Rasool Shaikh.

Elders of the affected villages — including Gul Hasan Mazari and Ghulam Hussain Solangi — informed PPI that at least 12 villages had been inundated during the last couple of months due to a change in the course of the Indus.

Because of negligence of the district government, they said, a number of people had started migrating from their native villages to safer places. “We are waiting for assistant from the government as we have lost our houses”, they added.

“The district government of Ghotki did not provide any relief to the affected villagers”, they said, adding that elected representatives — including the MNA, the MPA and the district and taluka nazim — did not even visit the affected areas.

Scores of villagers, including women and children, held a protest demonstration at the bank of the Indus River against the district government and called on the authorities to provide them financial aid to build houses.