HYDERABAD, Dec 12: DCO Ali Ahmed Loond has said that teams have been constituted and survey work has been started to assess the losses caused due to the breach in the Hyderabad Development Authority’s water reservoir in Karan Khan Shoro village of the Qasimabad area.

He said that compensation to the affected villagers would be paid. Talking to the newsmen here at his office on Friday, the official said that the breach had been plugged with the cooperation of Rangers, HDA and Wapda volunteers, staff of TMAs and the area people. He said that the situation was under control.

The DCO said that 25 de-watering machines obtained from various agencies had been engaged to drain stagnant water while more such machines were being managed to reclaim the affected areas at the earliest.

He said that due to timely efforts water level had minimised up to around 60 per cent. He said that the flood caused due to the breach had damaged katcha houses, huts and crops; however, no human causality was reported.

He informed the newsmen that four villages including Sajan Detho, Khan Mohammad Mahar, Wahid Palari, and Misri Shaikh, were badly affected where separate relief camps had been established under the supervision of four taluka Mukhtiarkars.

The DCO further said that the district government had contributed a lot to the relief and rescue efforts including timely distribution of cooked food, shelter and medicines to the breach-affected villagers.

He said that various steps had been taken to provide relief to the affected people and reclaim the area, which included filling up the affected portion of the affected water reservoir to evacuate stranded villagers and their household items through motorboats, to serve meal to the affected families till their rehabilitation, to distribute 500 blankets among the victims.

He said that in order to control any possible outbreak of viral infections, anti-snake venom and other drugs and vaccines had been made available at the medical camps established at the affected villages, while fumigation had also been arranged.

He said that the agriculture department had also been directed to vaccinate the cattle and to provide fodder to the animals. He said that the Utility Stores Corporation had also been directed to make arrangements for 300 ration packets each comprising 10kg flour bag, 2kg rice, 4kg pulses, 1kg ghee, 2kg sugar and 200 grams tea packets for distribution among the affected villagers.

Meanwhile, MPA Pir Amjad Hussain Shah, who is also chairman of the District Development Committee Hyderabad, has directed the district administration of Hyderabad to complete survey work of the losses caused due to breach occurred at the HDA’s water reservoir so that compensation to the victims could be paid within the shortest possible time.

He said this during a visit to the site of breach and affected areas on Friday.

Mr Shah said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had directed the relevant quarters to probe into the matter and identify the causes of the breach.