Nine die as heavy rains continue to batter interior of Sindh

Published July 28, 2015
Flood-affectees seen sitting in open area after floodwater entered in their village. ─ Online
Flood-affectees seen sitting in open area after floodwater entered in their village. ─ Online

SUKKUR: At least nine persons were killed, scores of others injured and several hundred thatched houses damaged as heavy rains continued to lash most areas of the interior of Sindh on Monday.

Rainwater coupled with spillage from overflowing canals and the Indus River caused flooding of several thousand acres of farmlands and played havoc with the civic infrastructure and badly damaged the electricity, telecommunication, drainage and road communication, besides disrupting water supply system in Sukkur, Jacobabad, Kandhkot-Kashmore, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpur­khas, Hyderabad, Badin, Nausha­hro Feroze and several other districts. Transportation of milk, meat, vegetables and other farm produce to markets was also hampered.

Three persons were killed and two others were injured in rain-related incidents in Kandhkot-Kashmore district on Monday.

An eight-year-old girl drowned when she was swept away by currents in the Indus at Pahelwan Bhangwar village near Kandhkot town. She was yet to be identified.

A four-year-old girl, Reshman, daughter of Behlaj Jafferi, was killed when the wall of a house collapsed in Ali Murad Jafferi village near Tangwani town of Kandhkot-Kashmore district.

A shopkeeper, Qurban Burirro, was electrocuted while working in his shop in Thull town of Jacobabad district during rain.

Two children, Zahid and Akbar Ali Jafferi, were injured when the roof of their thatched house collapsed during rain in Babu Jafferi village near Thull.

UMERKOT: Heavy, moderate and light spells of rain that started on Friday evening in Tharparkar and Umerkot districts continued to pound the entire region intermittently on Monday.

All canals, including Mithrao, Thar Wah, Thar Tail, Soofi, Chhor Wah, Sarhari, Hiral and Sanwri, passing through the two districts were seen filled to their capacity while rainwater inundated several hundred villages forcing people to abandon their houses.

Umer Arisar, 30, a resident of Ajan Rajar village, and a five-year-old girl, Parwati, a resident of Dhoronaro town, were killed when the walls of their houses collapsed. NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: The entire district received a heavy spell of rain on Monday followed by intermittent showers that continued for hours.

Several houses collapsed and many others sustained damage by the impact of the downpour in different areas of the district.

A woman, Farzana Jhapa, wife of Abdul Rehman Jhapa, was killed when the roof of their house caved in during rain in Naushahro Feroze city. Four other persons were injured in the incident.

Rainwater remained accumulated on roads and streets of nearly all towns and villages of the district as the drainage system collapsed and stopped taking input.

Six persons, four of them women, were injured when another house in Mithiani town collapsed.

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad, Tando Mohammed Khan, Matiari, Jamshoro and Tando Allahyar districts were hit by a downpour at around 2:30am which continued till 3:45am and was followed by light showers until 10am on Monday.

The rain caused flooding and power outage across the three districts.

A woman, Parveen Qureshi, and her two sons Haroon, 23, and Awais, 20, were injured when the roof of their house in the Massan Road locality of Hyderabad collapsed during the rain. While the Met Office in Karachi recorded a maximum of 44mm rain in Hyderabad on Monday, the Sindh chief minister at a briefing in the evening was informed that the city had received 52mm of rain over the past 24 hours.

A massive power breakdown hit several districts with the start of the downpour. While electricity was restored in different areas after four to five hours, Tando Allahyar remained without power till late on Monday evening.

A number of thatched and semi-concrete houses were damaged by the heavy rainfall.

KHAIRPUR: Rural areas of Khairpur district experienced heavy to moderate rain throughout Sunday night after similar showers a day earlier while the city itself received a light rain, which was continuing intermittently.

The rain further damaged the date-palm orchards already battered by the earlier spell.

A man, Hakim Ali, 26, his five-year-old son, Husnain, and a relative, six-year-old Pinjal, died when the house of their hosts in Sutyaro town collapsed.

Another relative of the victims was injured in the incident.

MIRPURKHAS: All towns and villages of Mirpurkhas district received more rains on a fourth consecutive day.

Most areas of Mirpurkhas city and several other towns remained flooded as drainage system could not be revived.

While rainwater made its way into houses and shops in low-lying areas, electricity continued to play hide-and-seek multiplying people’s miseries.

BADIN: The routine life across Badin district remained paralysed by another downpour on Monday following three days of intermittent heavy-light spells.

At least 15 thatched houses collapsed during the fresh showers along the coastal belt but there were no casualties.

The civic structure and utilities installations battered by the earlier rain sustained further damage causing continued disruption in water, power, food and other supplies as well as service delivery.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2015

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