MIRPURKHAS: Excavation for a new drain and revival of an abandoned one on an emergency basis to drain out floodwaters accumulated in Sindhri taluka for many weeks were discussed at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Mirpurkhas Commissioner Syed Aijaz Ali Shah on Monday.

A day earlier, the commissioner had allowed a big group of marooned people of the area to undertake the excavation and drainage work after they expressed their despair over the government’s intention to come to their help. However, on the commissioner’s directives, the revenue department spared its two excavators for the volunteer force enable them to start the work.

At the meeting on Monday, the work was officially allowed and the officials concerned were assigned different jobs.

The meeting of the district’s divisional task force was attended by Additional Commissioner-I Dr Ali Nawaz Bhoot, deputy commissioners of Mirpurkhas and Umerkot, executive engineers of Mithrao and Thar division, and assistant commissioners of Khipro, Sindhri and Pithoro.

It discussed the overall situation of flooding, ways and measures to drain out water and rehabilitate thousands of affected people of Sindhri taluka. The Mirpurkhas DC told the meeting that a seven-km-long drain was being dug in deh Palango of Ismail Kumbhar union council with the technical assistance of irrigation department.

LBOD project director Fareed Memon proposed the depth of the drain at its various points.

The commissioner asked the DCs of Mirpurkhas and Umerkot to jointly plan excavation for storm-water drains and clearance of natural waterways in the taluka. He sought a progress report from them within a week.

He also asked the ACs of Khipro and Pithoro, as well as the executive engineers present at the meeting, to monitor “controlled disposal of floodwaters” from eastern side near the Khahi area of Khipro taluka.

“Since there is no way to control flows from the western side as the entire (about 4,000-foot) flood protective bund of the area was swept away by deluge, the abandoned drain near deh Khumbri should be revived within a day or two,” the commissioner said.

He expressed his displeasure over local irrigation staff’s negligence during the rain emergency. He asked the senior irrigation officials to submit a feasibility report

of the excavation for drain through Phitoro taluka within 48 hours so that Sindhri’s floodwaters could be driven towards Puran Dhoro via Pithoro.

The meeting also discussed the land acquisition issue for completion of the remaining work of LBOD near Tando Jan Mohammad. The commissioner directed the Mirpurkhas DC to get it done on a priority basis.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2022