HYDERABAD, Sept 11: Rain water accumulated in Latifabad-11 is being drained away by the Water and Sanitation Agency into villages near the protective bund of the Indus river.

Villagers said that their crops and houses had been submerged.

Submerged villages are: Haji Khan Leghari, Fazal Leghari and Bachal Leghari.

Residents of the villages have shifted to embankment of the Indus river.

They said that Wasa authorities were releasing water after sucking it from Latifabad and sending it across the bachao bund which was findings its way in their villages.

Residents including Rasool Bux Leghari, Shah Nawaz, Aslam Mallah and Khuda Bux said that their vegetables, millet and chillies had been destroyed.

Latifabad taluka nazim Sabir Qaimkhani said that in fact it was a katcha land and people had started living there.

He said that water was being released in the Indus river through an old channel which was used in the past for disposal of sewerage but later it was closed.

He said that it was now being restored for disposing rainwater.

He said that water was not being released towards the villages.

According to a Wasa official rainwater of unit-11 is being collected in a big pond located near the protective bund wherefrom it was being released through a channel into the Indus river.

He said that there might be inundation in some villages but not all of them were submerged.

He said that gate of channel was opened in presence of officials and added that the pond was still empty.

He denied that it had overflowed or water was being released in the villages.

Agitating rain-affected residents of Latifabad-2 blocked the Auto Bhan road for hours in protest against delay in draining out of rainwater from their localities.

The protesters pelted vehicles with stones and raised barricades.

They destroyed flower pots lying in the nearby nursery and threw pieces of pots and bricks on the road. They burnt tyres.

The road blockade led to serious traffic congestion on the Fatima Jinnah road outside the Shahbaz building whose one side was already closed for traffic.

The traffic was diverted to other roads, causing problems to commuters.

Meanwhile, the A-section police recovered a body of Navaid Hashmi, 30, near the protective bund.

Police said that deceased was an accountant of a private school and was resident of Barrage colony.

According to deceased’s brother, he had gone to school as per schedule on Thursday but did not return till late night.

He said that family mounted search for him and printing press friend of the deceased informed he left for home at 9pm on Thursday.

The body was sent for post-mortem.