THATTA: Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman has said that Sindh has sustained more financial losses after Balochistan inflicted by recent torrential rain.

The senator told media persons at naval base in Keti Bunder following a whirlwind visit of the flooded coastline that she and her team was visiting the Thatta coastal belt to ascertain ground realities, prepare a report and recommend a special package for the rain-hit province.

She said that she would prepare a comprehensive report on the widespread damage to infrastructure, including bridges, sim nullahs, katcha and pakka houses and crops in the flooded area in order to recommend sufficient compensation for the affected population.

Federal Minister for IT Aminul Haq, who also accompanied the senator, said that more than 9,000 houses were damaged and 10 people lost their lives in the recent heavy rain, overflow and overtopping of drains and backflow of oceanic water.

Sadiq Ali Memon, special assistant to Sindh chief minister, said that elected representatives were assisting the district administration in its efforts for rescuing and rehabilitating the marooned population in Thatta coastal belt.

Kesoo Mal Kheel Das Kohistani, Sadiq Ali Memon and senior vice president of PPP Thatta chapter Abdul Hamid Panhwar were also part of the federal minister’s entourage.

Meanwhile, PPP MPA Ali Hassan Zardari visited submerged areas in Ghorabari and Keti Bunder and asked the administration to expedite efforts to drain out stagnant rainwater from urban and rural areas.

‘Survey of flooded villages in Larkana soon’

Larkana Commissioner Ganhwar Ali Laghari on Tuesday said that a survey of submerged villages would be undertaken shortly to assess the extent of damage in the rain-hit areas of this division so that affected people could receive assistance and compensation, our Larkana correspondent adds.

Accompanied by MNA Sardar Khan Chandio, chieftain of Chandio tribe and Qambar-Shahdadkot deputy commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso, the commissioner visited rain-hit areas and met marooned people in the villages of Gabidero, Sono Khan Chandio, Haji Mohammad Hassan Buriro, Denar Buriro and others.

He assured rain-affectees who had taken shelter in relief camps of providing them all possible assistance and was briefed about the government help so far provided to the affectees. The survey was being carried out so that the government could extend help to people, he said.

Later, the officer visited Flood Protective Bund in Faridabad area, which was sustaining heavy pressure of water coming down from mountains after heavy rains and asked the irrigation and other departments concerned to be vigilant about the state of the embankment.

Sources said that locals had cut Saroh lake’s dykes at certain points to reduce pressure on its banks and drain out water into Hamal Lake. The water would further travel through Main Nara Valley Drain into Manchar Lake, said the sources.

However, the cuts in the lake’s banks had led to inundation of road link between Qambar, Gaibidero and other villages, said the sources.

Meanwhile, the commissioner held a meeting with the highway department’s engineers in Larkana and called for assessing the damage and making efforts to repair and restore the road link between Gaibidero and Qambar at the earliest.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2022