LAYYAH: The Indus river erosion forced the residents of 15 villages to leave their dwellings on Eid.

The erosion has plagued a number of places in the district and successive governments have failed to solve the issue. In the last few months, the erosion has spread to the centuries-old dwellings of Sobhaywala, Basti Dullo, Sohiya and Gishkori.

Inayat Kashif, a resident of Sumra Nashaib, claimed that “acres of fertile agriculture land have been eroded by the Indus river and the damage has been done four kilometres towards Layyah city.”

Ghulam Fareed Khan, a PPP leader who resides at Pakka Mirani of UC Lohanch Nashaib, said the “provincial government has been spending billions on development projects in Lahore but it has not bothered to spend a penny to save the poor people in one of the most deprived and backward areas of south Punjab”.

He said a dyke could control erosion but no step had been taken to build one.

“Around 2,000 acres have been damaged by the river,” says DCO Wajid Ali Shah. The mauzas affected by erosion include Rakhwan, Warrah, Sumra Nashaib Janobi and Shumali, Lohanch Nashaib, Nooraywala Katcha and Pakka, Bhakkari Ahmed Khan, Shahwala, Dullo Nashaib and Jhakkar.

“We have visited 175 displaced families and provided them food and tents. A technical study is being carried out by a team of the irrigation department to construct dyke to check river erosion in the five-kilometre stretch of eastern bank of the Indus” said the DCO.

Meanwhile, the chief minister has released Rs15 million for model study and preliminary work for construction of dyke.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2016