Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has constituted committees under chief engineers concerned to dispose of water from the flooded towns and cities located on both banks of River Indus to restore life and clear agricultural lands for Rabi crop.

“The people living in the camps are in real pain which could only be healed by sending them back to their homes and that would only be possible when water is cleared from their areas,” he said while presiding over a meeting regarding the disposal of flood water from the towns and villages of the province.

The chief minister said that he had visited affected areas of the Sindh Province and noted that water had started to recede. “We have to work out a plan for how to dispose of the stagnant water so that people living in the tents along the main roads could be sent back to their homes,” he said.

The chief minister directed the Irrigation Department to pump out rain or flood water from Khairpur district, especially from the area of Talukas Kotdiji and Mirwah.

He also directed the Salinity Control and Reclamation Project (SCARP) of the Irrigation Department to deploy 15 dewatering machines, arrange excavators, and de-silt problematic SCARP drains. He directed the energy department to talk to Sukkur Electric Supply Company (SEPCO) to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to SCARP pumping stations.

Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Irrigation Secretary Sohail Qureshi, and chief engineer Zareef Khero gave a detailed presentation to the chief minister on the current position of the flood.

They said that River Indus was flowing normally at Guddu, Sukkur, and Kotri barrages. The level of Manchhar Lake had reduced by 4.45 feet. The level of Dadu-Moro bridge and Amri Bridge had also shown a reduction of 9.4 feet and 7.7 feet respectively.

Out of the four cuts made into Larkana-Sehwan Bund, one had been plugged while the remaining three cuts at Danister, Arral head and Tail were discharging 114,010 cusecs.

Giving the current situation of inundation on the Right Side of Sukkur Barrage, the chief minister was informed that the water level had reduced along the FP Bund ranging from 8 feet to 11 feet in the upper reach of Saifullah and Rice Canal Division, and 4 to 7 feet in the lower reach of Southern Dadu Division. The water level along Suprio Bund had also reduced from 5 to 6 feet.

Reduction along MNV at RD-194 had been recorded at about 2.9 feet, at RD 210 3.3 feet, and at RD-346 11 feet. The Shahdadkot main drain and Miro Khan Main Drain level had also reduced by one to two feet.

The water level had reduced to around 5 feet at Mehar City Ring Bund while the KN Shah Main Drain was flowing in MNV and there was a reduction of 5 feet.

The water level at Johi Branch RD-67 (KN Shah Dadu Road) had also shown a reduction of 5.5 ft. The most important was the complete reduction of water along the ring Bund of Bhan Saeedabad, and therefore the bund (ring) was being removed.

The CM was informed that the overall water level was depleting in the upper areas of Taluka Qubo Saeed Khan, Shahdadkot, Kambar, Warah, and Nasirabad. The breach at FP Bund at RD-169 (Chukhi) had been plugged.

The Spinal Drain flows had been recorded at 11.70 at RD-728, 15.2 at RD-468, 18.65 at RD-305 and 20.10 at RD-295, and 18.75 at RD-245, which is the highest level ever. Therefore, two breaches had occurred and one of them had been plugged while the other one would be plugged soon. The CM was informed that the gauges were reducing gradually along the spinal drain.

The chief minister was informed that 128,037 acres of Kashmore District were underwater, of which 46% had been evacuated. Similarly, Jacobabad had shown 34% reduction in flood water, Shikarpur 48%, Kambar-Shahdadkot 15%, Larkana 34 %, Thatta 76 %, Ghotki 68%, Sukkur 34%, Khairpur 28%, Naushehroferoze 34%, Shaheed Benazirabad 40%, Sanghar 61%, Umerkot 53%, Mirpurkhas 39%, Matiari 78%, Tando Allahyar 49%, Hyderabad 53%, Tando M. Khan 58%, Sujawal 46% and Badin 37%. The districts of Dadu and Jamshoro were yet to be cleared.

The meeting was attended by Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Brigadier Nayar of Crops -5 Engineering side, Secretary to CM Raheen Shaikh, Secretary irrigation Sohail Qureshi, Special Secretary Irrigation Jamal, Chief Engineer Zareef Khero, Chief Engineer Scarp Mansoor Memon.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk