SUKKUR: Praising the army for coming to the rescue of people affected by flooding in the kutcha areas and helping the provincial government facing the flood threat, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Wednesday severely criticised the federal government and its institutions for failing to fulfil their responsibilities over the past few years.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday at the Qadirpur gas fields where he oversaw the Shank dyke strengthening work for a second consecutive day, Mr Shah said his government was made to get the works done which actually were supposed to be carried out by the federal government and the National Disaster Management Authorities. He also deplored the Centre for not cooperating with his government in the face of flood.

“We will take the Shank bund strengthening issue to the Council of Common Interests,” he said, arguing that the Qadirpur gas fields where the [Shank] bund was located were under the command and control of the Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC), which was as federal institution. “It is the responsibility of the OGDC, indirectly the federal government, to look after the bund.

Shank bud was identified as the most vulnerable point exposed to threat from high flood in the Indus and a couple of days back the chief minister had expressed serious concern over its condition. A big population of the kutcha area as well as thousands of acres of farmlands in Ghotki district could be affected if flood-water deluge caused damage to the protective bund, he was informed by the irrigation officials concerned.

During his visit to the site on Tuesday, Mr Shah ordered immediate start of dyke strengthening work on an emergency basis and paid a second visit to the site on Wednesday to see whether his order had been adhered to or not.

Health Minister Jam Mahtab Dahar and Agriculture Minister Ali Nawaz Mahar accompanied him in the visit.He said the federal government and the NDMA used to pay lip service making the Sindh government and the PDMA to work day and night in order to cope with situation arising out of the peak flood at Guddu and Sukkur barrages. He held out the assurance that his government would do its utmost to save people from loss of life and property and provide them with all essential facilities.

Mr Shah expressed satisfaction over the pace of work after he was told that it had been started immediately after issuance of the order. He noted that army personnel were busy day and night to ensure completion of work on a war-footing basis.

He told the media that the Indus River Commission (IRC) had undertaken the work for the strengthening of all protective bunds in the province soon after the 2010. “However, the IRC did not come up to the expectations of the Sindh government in this regard,” he said, adding that the provincial government had to carry out the works on an emergency basis.

The chief minister said that adequate funds had been released for the ongoing works and anti-flood measures.

He thanked the army and navy for their due cooperation in the time of need.

KHAIRPUR: Earlier, the chief minister received a briefing from senior irrigation and district officials at the Ulra Jagir embankment regarding the weak condition of Shank bund. He was informed that considerable work for its strengthening had been carried out over the past 24 hours with the help of army personnel.

Later, speaking to the media, Mr Shah said that it was due to the prompt measures taken by his government, army and the PDMA that no major loss of life and property occurred so far due to the recent flooding of the kutcha areas and torrential rains in the province.

He said the Indus was in medium flood at Guddu and Sukkur at the moment and the peak flood discharge was not expected to exceeded 700,000-750,000 cusecs, therefore, there was no fear of super flood in the next few weeks.

He rejected the rumours about release of flood-water into Indus by India, and said the peak flood was caused by flows from Tarbela, Kabul and other rivers.

In reply to a question, Mr Shah said that the Ulra Jagir embankment was weak at the time of the 2010 flood. It’s width had now been widened from 12 to 18 feet to make it stronger, he added. He said that 40 per cent work of the embankment’s spurs had been completed while the remaining works would be carried out within the next six months.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2015

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