HYDERABAD, Sept 14: Senior army officers have said that stagnant rainwater in units 2 and 11 of Latifabad had receded only a little, despite efforts made by civilian and army authorities.

Briefing journalists at the 18-division army headquarters on Thursday, the officers spoke about their efforts and future plans to address needs of rain victims in the Hyderabad district

Brigadier Ghulam Murtaza said the civil administration had initially requisitioned only a few boats and one company force because it could not initially gauge the enormity of the crisis, adding that more troops had been called out.

He said 18,930 people had been evacuated since Sept 8 and 9, who mostly opted to go to their relatives or other accommodations and added that the remaining were in the relief camps.

He said the district government had distributed food while army personnel had cleansed the nullah.

He said the situation in the Qasimabad taluka was not as bad as in some units of Latifabad and that water in unit No.7 and Gulshan-i-Hali had receded on roads, but the situation in units 2, 8 and 11 remained unchanged. He said that in unit 12 water had started receding.

“The situation in units 2 and 11 is almost the same as was on day one,” said the brigadier while mentioning that only water had receded in unit 2 as it was still receiving water from other units.

He said bed level of the Indus River was higher than the settlements in Latifabad that was why draining out of water from unit No.2 across the river was difficult.

He said that for the time being, the army had started draining out rainwater of unit 2 in agricultural land near public school, adding that relief camps were working in collaboration with the civil administration.

He said the storm water drain of Wasa was not functioning while their turbines in the pumping stations had not been working.