DADU, Sept 8: The irrigation authorities on Wednesday made a 40-foot breach in a flood protective embankment near Manchhar lake as part of measures to protect Dadu and Johi towns. The move aims to reduce pressure on a dyke along the Main Nara Valley (MNV) drain.

Floodwaters washed away a one-kilometre portion of the right bank of MNV drain and created two 20-foot wide breaches. The water from the breaches was being diverted to Manchhar lake.

The heavy flow of water has damaged almost half of flood protective and Manchhar lake embankments, threatening a number of towns and villages in Sehwan Sharif taluka. Army personnel have taken over the work and started dumping stones and bags of mud to strengthen the embankments.

Vehicles going to Sehwan-Bhan Syedabad, Dadu and Bubak from the main bridge at zero pint were stopped by the army and locals were not allowed to go near the bridge. Commander of Artillery-18 Division Zubir Ahmed told Dawn that troops were trying to plug a breach in FP bund at Mian-Ji-Kundi. The gushing water is hitting the bridge and eroding FP and Manchhar lake embankments.

He said that if the bridge was damaged, a number of towns would be cut off from other areas. However, he expressed the hope that the situation would be controlled. Chief engineer of the Sukkur barrage right bank Agha Aijaz said the water was putting pressure on the zero point and the left bank of MNV drain. He said that Wapda and irrigation officials were trying to protect the left side of the drain.

If a breach occurred at the left side of MNV drain, it would inundate Dadu, Bhan and parts of Sehwan Sharif and a number of agricultural lands. He said that after the breach in the flood protective bund, water flow in Manchhar lake ranged between 30,000 and 35,000 cusecs.

The irrigation department’s superintending engineer, Abdul Rehman Nizamani, said the floodwater was damaging embankment sites and putting pressure on MNV drain embankments. He said that Manchhar lake water would be discharged into the Indus in three or four days.

The water from a breach in a dyke at Mian-Ji-Kundi is putting pressure on Johi ring-embankment. The residents of the town have raised the ring-dyke by 18 feet by dumping bags of mud.

The water level in MNV drain at Chhandan continued to rise, threatening Dadu town. People in 11 union councils of Dadu taluka have started shifting to safe places. They complained about shortage of vehicles and high fares.

The floodwaters continued to buffet the last defence line of Sita Road town at Johi canal embankment. Over 3,000 volunteers are working to raise the embankment. The water has changed its direction from Johi canal to union council of Sindhre Butra, in Mehar taluka.

A breach in Suprio bund, at Mochi village, has yet to be plugged. It inundated another 30 villages in Mehar on Wednesday. The floodwaters continued to exert pressure on Mehar ring-embankment.

About 3,000 villagers have been grappling with a shortage of food. DPO Ghazi Salahuddin said that an operation had been launched to rescue them and food was being supplied to the stranded people.

Sindh Food Minister Nadir Magsi complained that the district administration and elected representatives of Mehar were not looking after the ring-embankment. He called for deploying police at the Mehar embankment.