DADU: The district administration has issued alert over impending threat of flood and asked rural and urban population of Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Johi towns to immediately move to safe places.

Districrt officials warned people of Dadu on Monday evening that floodwater had reached just three kilometres away from the city.

Dadu deputy commissioner Syed Murtaza Ali Shah asked assistant commissioners and mukhtiarkars of the towns in a letter to help people shift to safe places.

He said the floodwaters from breaches in Suprio Bund and MNV Drain had reached Khuda Wah and were developing pressure at the canal’s embankment, just half a kilometre from K.N. Shah town. Fortunately, 80 per cent population of the town had already left for safe places.

High alert sounded as deluge just three kilometres away from Dadu city, warn officials

The floodwaters moved to Mehar after breach in Suprio dyke at Khan Jo Goth village as work on the construction of ring embankment to protect the town was going on at a rapid pace.

As the floodwaters were fast closing in on Mehar town, thousands of families along with their children arrived at bypass to move to safe places.

The residents of Fareedabad were struggling to strengthen ring dyke around the town after breach in FP Bund, which had cut off land link of the town with other areas.

Gozo, a small town, was completely flooded after the breaches and all of its population moved to main road, Khanpur and Kakar towns.

Meanwhile, a 200 to 300 foot wide cut was made in Johi branch at Kari Mori to reduce pressure of water on Suprio bund and the water flow was diverted to Manchhar Lake and Johi town.

Sources said that differences developed between provincial minister Jam Khan Shoro and MNA Rafiq Jamali over the cut.

In Johi, which faced threat of deluge after breaches in MNV Drain and cut in Johi branch, the residents were frenetically constructing a ring embankment to protect the town from the impending flood. Women and children also participated in the dyke construction.

The floodwaters had inundated 300 big and small villages before it reached Thrari Jado Shaheed link road, 35 kms from Johi town.

Murad orders raising of dykes to save towns from deluge

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed irrigation and Wapda authorities to strengthen embankments of Main Nara Valley Drain, Indus Link and Johi branch to protect the town of Sehwan, Mehar, Johi and Dadu from much feared deluge in case of dyke breaches.

He issued the directives during his visit to Manchhar Lake, Dadu, and Johi towns on Monday.

At the Manchhar, the chief minister was briefed by Superintendent Engineer Shafaqat Wadho who said that the hill torrents from Balochistan had developed four to five breaches in Flood Protective Bund and their water had started entering Shahdadkot, Qubo Saeed Khan and their adjoining areas.

He said that the main Ghar drain had started flowing backwards and hence it had posed threat to Gaji Khuhawar town. The breaches in Suprio Bund that developed last night at RD-52 and RD-12 were exactly opposite the towns of Mehar and Khairpur Nathan Shah. Since Johi branch was flowing above its capacity, it had to be given a cut to protect the main towns, he informed the chief minister.

The chief minister said that the water from the breaches would bring floodwaters to K.N. Shah, the western side of Mehar and Johi towns. The irrigation and Wapda authorities had been directed to strengthen protective bund and erect dykes at Mehar bypass, Johi, and K.N. Shah to protect the towns from the floodwaters coming from Balochistan, he said.

He concluded after discussion with irrigation experts that the floodwaters would ultimately end up in Manchhar Lake, which had already risen to a precarious 120.75 RL. As the Indus River was already in high flood, it too would not accept any more water from the drains, he said.

Shah directed the irrigation department to keep watch over Indus Link to save Sehwan and its villages.

He said in answer to journalists’ queries that he had ordered crackdown against hoarders and profiteers and arrest of the agents deducting service charges from Rs25,000 being given to the flood-affected people under BISP.

At Johi, the chief minister inspected the work on the construction of ring embankment around the town. During his visit, a large number of flood-affected people protested against the administration’s failure to provide them tents and ration bags. They, however, ended the protest on the chief minister’s assurance.

At Dadu, he told journalists that the embankment of MNV drain would be strengthened to protect the city, which at present faced no threat.

The chief minister was accompanied by provincial ministers Nasir Shah and Mukesh Chawla. MNAs Rafiq Jamali, Sikandar Rahpoto, MPA Shajila Leghari and others during the visit.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2022