Rajanpur, Sept 8 The flood-hit people of Tehsil Jampur have started returning to their homes from relief camps to face the challenge of massive reconstruction ahead of them.

They will take a long time, up to a year or so, to reconstruct their houses and they need tarpaulins, plastic sheets, ropes and bamboos to build makeshift shelters.

The breach created by the district government on Shreeowala Band, near Kot Chuuta, on the night of Aug 3 affected around 450,000 people of Jampur tehsil's 225 villages on the right bank of the Indus. The areas from Jampur to Fazalpur are the worst-hit.

“For the last four decades or so, we have never seen such a huge flood,” Aslem Rasoolpuri, an advocate, told Dawn.

Bazaars, schools, colleges, stadium and health centres of Jampur city are still submerged by floodwaters.

All kacha and packa houses of around 200 villages have been razed to the ground, while cotton, sugarcane and maize crops have been washed away.

This correspondent visited Sukhaniwala, Basti Budhra, Soontra, Gopang and Budhani villages hit by the floods.

Link roads in the entire area have been swept away along with the electricity supply infrastructure.

“Broken roads have developed 10-foot deep craters that are filled with water,” Taj Gopang, a resident of Fazalpur, said.

Kaswer Buzdar, of Sukhaniwala, said the house that did not collapse in the beginning would cave in after a few days as floodwaters had damaged their foundations to the core.

Ihtisahamul Haq Shami, district social welfare department manager, said people were demanding tents along with ration.

A non-government organisation is providing tarpaulins and tents to the displaced people, but its officials say they are unable to meet the growing demands of the locals.

“More tents are needed as it will take six months to a year to reconstruct houses, and for that period people need makeshift shelters,” Josline, a relief worker from Basti Gopang, told Dawn.