LARKANA: Flooding caused by a breach in the embankment of the main Mehar branch, an offshoot of Rice Canal, at its RD-4 point late on Thursday evening inundated about 10 villages and standing paddy crop over 100 acres, irrigation sources said on Friday.

Mounting water pressure in the canal caused a breach near Bhori Ja Bhan village which rapidly widened to about 60 feet and gradually eroded the embankment further to widen the breach to around 100 feet.

According to the sources, the breach was reported at 1.30am. They said heavy machinery along with dumping material, plugging equipment and labourers were rushed to the site and the repair work was immediately started.

The officials concerned closed the canal to facilitate the plugging work and avoid further losses on account of flooding, they said.

Rice Canal-II executive engineer Tariq Kehar, speaking to Dawn from the breach site, said efforts were under way to plug it but the labourers and their overseers were facing difficulty in reaching the other side of the breach.

He said engineers and other senior officials were exploring ways to move the heavy machinery there though in vain so far.

Mr Kehar, however, hoped that the plugging work would be completed anyhow by midnight and the canal would be reopened in the early hours of Saturday.

SUKKUR: In a similar incident, one village and standing cotton and sugar cane crops over several hundred acres were inundated when a 70-foot-wide breach occurred in the embankment of Mubarakpur minor (canal) at its RD-65 point near Khanpur Mahar town of Ghotki district on Friday.

Flooding destroyed 10 thatched houses in Wass village along with the household items, valuables and grain stocks kept in and around them, affected peasants said, adding that it also washed away their standing cotton and sugar cane crops over several hundred acres of lands.

Umar Malik, Malhar Mahar and other affected peasants proceeded to the irrigation department office in Khanpur Mahar to protest over the alleged indifferent attitude of the officials concerned.

They raised slogans against the department and told local reporters that they had timely informed the officials concerned about the breach but neither any of them nor the workforce turned up to plug the breach until flooding devastated their village and crops.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2016