GHULAM HUSSAIN KHWAJA
THATTA: Mounting pressure of floodwater in the Indus River caused wide breaches in the dykes of the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) at four places within the limits of Thatta district on Saturday causing inundation of several thousand acres of farmland and over two dozen villages.
The breaches occurred in the dykes between the Hillaya and Chillaya points. Strong currents overtopping the Indus embankments hit the RBOD dykes with immense pressure causing the breaches, local residents said, adding that the pressure was constantly mounting and more weak points along the dykes were feared to sustain damage.
Officials of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) closely monitoring the flow of floodwater downstream Kotri via Thatta said that around 100-foot-wide breaches at the four points had already caused considerable damage to the vital drain. Although they blame the damage to the unexpectedly heavy discharge at these points, local agronomist insist that the dykes could not withstand the pressure due to the use of substandard material and poor quality work for the strengthening of the protective bunds. Such breaches, though not so wide, used to occur frequently even during the low-pressure flows, they argued.
As soon as the deluge started flooding the farmlands next to the Hillaya and Chillaya points on Saturday, Kalri Baghar circle chief engineer Abdul Qadir Palijo ordered dismantling of ‘zamindari bunds’ (the dykes raised by growers to protect their own lands) in order to prevent heavier losses. Some of the zamindari bunds were raised by the most influential growers of the district.
Mr Palijo told Dawn that the floodwater currently passing through the area spilled over its designated route partly due to obstruction in the flow. Thick silt deposits, garbage etc had reduced the depth of the course, he said, adding that the 115-mile Thatta section of the Indus embankments would remain under immense pressure over the next 24-36 hours.
A strict monitoring of the officially declared vulnerable dykes — Sonda, Hillaya, Ali Bahar, PB Bund, Aghimani, Indo and Gulail — was being done by public and private stakeholders to avoid any eventuality. in the district.
Meanwhile, it was reported that 15 villages were inundated soon after the dismantling of a zamindari bund in the katcha area of Garko Forest.
Media personnel present around the affected landscape reported that an estimated 100,000 villagers managed to move out of the flooded areas during the day and take refuge on highlands. They mostly belonged to the Thatta and Ghorabari areas.
Some of them speaking to the media said neither the Provincial Disaster Management Authority nor the relief department had so far reached them to offer relief and assistance. They said they needed tents, food, water and other essential commodities for survival.
Reports from the marooned villages said that more than 300 families were trapped due to sudden arrival of floodwater in their villages near Tando Hafiz Shah town.
At the Thatta-Sujawal bridge, locally known as Doolah Darya Khan bridge, a discharge of 575,000 cusecs was recorded on Saturday afternoon. Located in a safe area, the bridge has become a recreational spot these days providing a rare sight of high-flood discharge to the visitors.
Floodwater hits 20 Dadu villages
DADU: Twenty villages were inundated when around 100-foot-wide breach in the dyke of a water course along Shah Awais Qarni link road caused flooding near Manjhand town on Saturday.
Road communication between surrounding towns and villages was blocked by the flooding on the western side of the Indus Highway and the entire Pako area was cut off with the rest of the district.
Floodwater damaging the irrigation channels in the district was picking up intensity further threatening the highway, after washing away the rail track near Lucky Shah Saddar, Amri and Manjhand.
The villages affected by the flooding included Abra, Detha, Bajora, Qurban Tanghyani, Lutif Ali Khoso and Chara.
Some of the affected villagers said that floodwater had already caused six smaller breaches at various points in the dykes of irrigation channels in the Pako area. Floodwater in the area is passing through 30 small bridges built over the waterway serving as stormwater drain.
They said they were in dire need of food, drinking water, medicines and boats to cope with the eventuality.
Manjhand Assistant Commissioner Muzaffar Hussain Katpar, when contacted, said that four boats were already sent to the affected areas to shift the affected villagers to safe places. Four more boats would be sent to the areas soon, he added. He said that Indus Highway would not sustain heavy damage by the flooding as all bridges in the affected areas were closed.
Engineer Ghulam Sarwar Sahar posted at the Sehwan-Shahbaz division said that a discharge of around 500,000 cusecs at the Manjhand section of the Indus River was recorded on Saturday.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the 7,000-year-old historical site of ‘Amri Remains’ was affected by the flooding which also hit Amri town and the low-lying areas of Lucky town.