DADU: Several thousand families living in four union councils comprising around 200 villages of the Kachho belt have lost their road access to the rest of this district following torrential rains and resultant flooding on Thursday.

The rainfall in Dadu and Jamshoro districts and the adjoining areas including the Khirthar range and Gor­akh Hills started on Wed­nesday night and was still continuing intermittently when last reports came in on Thursday evening.

Skies over the two districts remained heavily overcast amid forecast of more rainfall in the night.

Flooding hit the entire Kachho belt and the mountainous course that carries rainwater from the Khirthar range to Nai Gaj dam.

Affected villagers fear shortage of food, water and other essential commodities

Reports from the affected villages of Sawro, Tando Rahim, Wahi Pandhi and Chhinni said that water level along the course and the dam had already risen to 17 feet and it was still raining.

Flooding in the areas with­in and around the Kac­hho belt has caused considerable damage to an undetermined number of houses — mostly mud-built and thatched — in the affected villages. The inm­ates suffered heavy material losses as their household articles and furniture were washed away in the deluge.

Abbas Jangwani, a resident of Tando Rahim, said the water level in the dam’s catchment area went up rapidly due to heavy rainfall and it was crossing the 17-foot mark.

The villagers apprehen­ded that the big population of the flood-hit area might face a shortage of food, drinking water and other essential commodities on Friday and onwards if the rainfall did not stop.

“Supplies did not arrive in our villages today as flooding has cut off road communication between the UCs and the highway, running along the outskirts,” Allah Yar Rodhnan, former nazim of Sawro union council, told this reporter over phone. He said flooding also destroyed tomatoes, green chilli and other crops grown over hundreds of acres in the Kachho belt.

Commenting on the situation, Dadu Assistant Comm­i­s­sio­ner Nazeer Ahmed Soo­mro described the rainfall and flooding as normal phenomenon in this western part of the district.

He said the lands of the area would remain fertile due to the rainfall and flooding, which were a boon to the local population.

The other areas that received downpour on Thur­s­day included Johi, Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Seh­wan, Sann, Manjhand and parts of Jamshoro district.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2019