HYDERABAD, March 13: The Fatehpur Shakh near Hala developed three about 70 foot breaches around 1 am on Tuesday inundating standing crops and a number of villages.

Reports reaching here said that no official of the irrigation department turned up after 12 hours at the breached sites near Luqman Korejo and Jan Mohammad Laghari villages.

Villagers were warned of the danger through loudspeakers from mosques and a large number of them rushed to the breached spot to try to plug breaches but their attempts failed in the face of continuous flow of water from the main source.

Reports said that the SDO of the area and the irrigation staff avoided going to the villages for fear they would have to bear the brunt of villagers’ anger. They, however, closed water at the source at 1 am after 12 hours.

Police from Hala and Bhanoth rushed to the villages and helped people plug the breaches.

Later in the day the villagers led by general secretary of PML-F Hala Arif Korejo staged a demonstration against the irrigation department. Mr Korejo blamed the inefficiency of irrigation department for the breaches and said that the Shakh had developed breaches on many occasions but the department had made no arrangements for reinforcing its embankments.

On the other hand the executive engineer irrigation of Hala division Zahid Hussain Shaikh said that the breaches were caused by recent rains and claimed there was no major loss of lives or property.