THATTA Floodwaters released from a breach at Kot Almo embankment are now heading towards coastal towns of Jati and Chuhar Jamali, in Shah Bandar, after inundating Sujawal town and most parts of Mirpur Bathoro taluka. The breach widened to 290 metres on Tuesday and was discharging about 100,000 cusecs of water.
The floodwater is only 12km from Chuhar Jamali. Another eight-kilometre portion of the Thatta-Badin Highway has been submerged. Forty per cent of the population in Jati and 20 per cent in Shah Bundar have been evacuated. About 65 per cent area of the two talukas, with a combined population of 275,000, has been inundated.
Most of the affected people were moving to Golarchi, the border town of Badin district. Those evacuated by army personnel were being shifted to nearby bunds and Thatta.
Local people complained about shortage of transport and high fares. The number of displaced people moving to Thatta is expected to rise to 600,000.
District Revenue Officer Hadi Bux Kalhoro and retired superintending engineer of the irrigation department Obhayo Khan Khushik, whose voluntary services have been acquired by the district administration, told Dawn from the flood site near Jati that major settlements in Tarr Khwaja, Hussainabad, Begna Mori, Nodo Baran and Waasu Shah and dozens of scattered settlements and villages had been submerged.
They said efforts were being made to strengthen embankments of Pinyari canal and divert the floodwater to its natural route to save Jati, Budho Talpur, Dewan City, Jati Chowk, two major industries of Dewan Sugar Mill and Dewan Motors, Golarchi taluka of Badin and a large number of villages from flooding.
Dr Liaquat Umrani, former chairman of the District Zakat and Usher Committee in Thatta, said the floodwater was 12km from Chuhar Jamali and two offshoots of Pinyari canal -- Satta Waah and Machki Naali -- were overflowing, putting pressure on its banks. Without naming any PPP leader, MNA Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi said that if the leaders belonging to Shah Bundar and Jati allowed diversion of floodwaters through their agricultural land, the coastal towns of Jati and Chuhar Jamali could be saved.
The situation in Makli and its adjoining areas where a large number of displaced people have taken shelter on bunds, roadsides, graveyards, stadiums and parks has improved after the arrival of relief goods from Karachi. Local and foreign NGOs and philanthropists from the Gulf and other countries have approached the local administration to help flood survivors.
Meanwhile, Syed Iqbal Ahmed Shah, former PPP president in Thatta, has urged President Asif Ali Zardari to order a judicial inquiry into the breach made at Molchand-Surjani bund, in Kot Almo, and another in a protective bund, near Faqir Jo Goth. He said the people of Thatta had suffered a lot because of what he called criminal negligence of the authorities.
