DADU: The land link between taluka headquarters of Johi and around 200 big and small villages of Kachho belt has been disconnected following heavy rains in the Khirthar mountain range along the Sindh and Balochistan borders in Dadu district, which also led to flooding in Nai Gaaj Nullah on Tuesday.

The villages included: Drigh Bala, Rajo Gandho, Mohammad Hassan Gurmani, Bahwal Babar, Mosa Lund, Akbar Lund, Kheero Deero, Shaklani, Ghazinai, Purani Drigh, Otho, Fareed Babar, Masoo Rustamani, Chhidi, Golo Faqir, Gul Mohammad Rodhnani, Shahk Rodhnani and 182 others.

The heavy rains in the Kachho belt increased the water level to 10 feet in Nai Nail, Nai Sole and Nai Taki nullahs.

Talking to Dawn, superintendent engineer Sajid Ali Bhutto of the Irrigation Southern Circle, Dadu, said that owing to rainfall along Khirthar mountain range at the borders of Sindh and Balochistan, water was flowing into Nai Gaaj Nullah.

He said that the level of water in Nai Gaaj Nullah was 14 feet early in the morning, but now it had reduced to two feet. He said that according to the previous record of 2006 and 2007, the maximum water had flown till 30 RL, which is 300,000 cusecs discharge quantity.

He said that the people of Kachho belt had started to collect this water through different sources for drinking and cultivation of land and extra water was flowing into Manchhar Lake.

He said that as soon as water reduced from Nai Gaaj Nullah within 24 hours, the situation would return to normal and land communication between disconnected villages and the taluka headquarters would be restored.

Assistant Commissioner Johi Ahmed Ali Soomro said that it was a normal occurrence in villages in the Kachho area and the rainwater would flow into Manchhar Lake without damage to any area.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2017