SUKKUR: The Sukkur bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday ordered all commissioners and deputy commissioners in the province to clear natural routes of rainwater of encroachments in order to ensure smooth flow of floodwaters in the event of rain and flood.

The bench comprising Justices Salahuddin Panhwar and Abdul Mateen Lakho passed the orders while hearing a petition about stagnant floodwaters in Sukkur, Khairpur and Naushahro Feroze districts.

It directed chief secretary of Sindh, chairman of Provincial Disaster Management Authority and secretaries of health, irrigation and revenue departments to hold open katchehries in rain-hit areas, listen to flood survivors’ grievances and resolve their problems on priority basis.

The court announced the order it had reserved on Jan 12. When Scarp project director submitted a report informing the court that hurdles in the natural routes of rain drains affected pace of floodwaters drainage the court directed all commissioners and DCs of Sindh to remove encroachments from all natural drains anddirected the officials to submit progress reports on Jan 25.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2023