HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court was informed by irrigation department officials on Tuesday that all but three breaches in Rice Canal had been plugged and 70 per cent of Khairpur Nathan Shah town had been dewatered — a fact disputed by petitioner.

The officials were replying to the division bench comprising Justices Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Amjad Ali Sahito who were hearing a contempt of court application filed by lawyer Altaf Awan against Dadu Deputy Commissioner Murtaza Ali Shah, Health Services Sindh director general Dr Juman Bahoto and the medical superintendent of KN Shah taluka hospital for failing to comply with Sept 13 order of the bench on his petition.

Rice Canal Larkana executive engineer Bahar Ali Jumani, superintending engineer Riaz Ahmed Bhurgri, superintending engineer of Wapda’s Salinity Control and Reclamation Project, Balram, and others told the court that 70pc of water had been drained from KN Shah.

They said that efforts were under way for dewatering the remaining areas as well. Their claim was, however, disputed by the petitioner who was himself a resident of the submerged town.

The petitioner informed the court that over 50pc of the town was still under water, including taluka hospital, Nadra office, civil court and other important buildings. Only Mehar stop had been cleared of water because it was a depression area where the town’s water had accumulated, he said.

He, however, did not dispute the officials’ claim that several machines had been installed for pumping out rainwater from the town.

Rice Canal’s executive engineer submitted that almost all, but three, breaches in the canal had been plugged and the remaining ones would be closed within a week. It would be ensured that no water from the canal (currently flowing towards KN Shah) flowed towards the town, he said.

Dadu DC informed the bench that fumigation was being carried out regularly and promised to ensure that the areas which had been left out were also covered.

Irrigation department officials assured the bench that the remaining breaches would be plugged soon as machinery had already been mobilised for the purpose. Rice Canal’s embankments had become muddy and unmotorable, which was making access to the breached spots difficult, they said and undertook before the court to coordinate with the executive engineer in his efforts for dewatering the town.

The court exempted irrigation officials from personal appearance for next hearings and said that from now on the department’s focal persons would attend the hearing to assist the bench on technical aspects of the matter.

The court adjourned the hearing to Oct 19.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2022