HYDERABAD, Aug 11: A population of about 3,000 in villages of two union councils is facing possible threat of an erosion of an embankment in the Jamshoro district.

The district administration on Thursday had alerted functionaries of irrigation and provincial government for immediate precautionary measures to ensure strengthening of the embankment near Makhdoom Sahar.

However, officials of the irrigation department have completely ruled out any threat to the embankment.

According to an official, about 1,500-foot long embankment (RD-7) along the Makhdoom Sahar pumping station might be fully eroded if immediate measures were not taken.

Officials of the district government including DCO Dr Khawar Jamil, DO (revenue) Sohail Adeeb Buchani and EDOs expressed concern over the condition of the embankment which was being hit by the Indus river.

“The DCO spoke to the chief engineer of the Kotri barrage, Manzoor Sheikh, requesting him to take immediate possible measures to address the situation. He also sent fax messages to the Sindh chief minister and other provincial functionaries”, said a district government source.

During a visit to the spot, residents of the area told Dawn that villages including Chara Goth, Thebo Goth, Panh Mori, Budhapur, Indus highway and irrigation department’s Makhdoom Sahar pumping scheme might be damaged if a breach took place in RD-7 embankment.

Irrigation authorities have collected heavy stones on embankment but they had not been dumped in the river water for unspecified reasons.

“The officers are aware of the situation and a PC-I is pending for permanent rehabilitation of the bund. But some immediate kind of work is also essential”, said an irrigation official.

UC Manzoorabad nazim Raho Khan said that irrigation authorities were aware of the fact that the embankment was posing a serious threat of being eroded if the deluge came but apparently serious efforts had not been undertaken by them to strengthen the site.

Executive Engineer (irrigation) Zahid Junejo said that the embankment was perfectly in sound condition and they were regularly watching it.

“Abkaliani material has been provided to the spot and stone dumping has been made”, he said.

Villagers living in the kutcha area along the river were being shifted to relief camps but they are not willing to stay in the camps.

Residents of Shalani, Bhambro and Chachar villages are required to be immediately shifted because they face possible threat of flood.

However, they were not willing to come to relief camps.

Around 35 families which were shifted to the Government High School Manjhand have left for their homes.