Water woes: 8 villages inundated following dyke breach

The 45-foot breach occurred near Kot Sultan

MULTAN: As many as eight villages were inundated following a dyke breach near Layyah on Friday

A spokesman of the district administration said the breach had occurred at an embankment near Kot Sultan. He said the 45-foot breach had submerged eight villages in the area.

He said major settlements affected by the breach included Basti Taroori, Khan Wala, Bait Gajji, Bait Wasawa Shumaail, Bait Wasawa Janoobi, Basti Seekhaani, Basti Nawab Khan and Basti Saifullah. The spokesman said at least 130 houses had been submerged. He said most residents had been moved to safe places. At least 40 families were still awaiting evacuation. He said water flow recorded at Chasma Barrage was 375,000 cusecs.

“Cotton, maize and rice crop may have been affected by the breach,” he said.

The spokesman said district administration had moved machinery and first-aid equipment closer to the affected area. “Rescue 1122 teams and evacuation teams have been dispatched to the area. We have put all available resources to addressing this issue.”

Some residents of Basti Taroor, where the breach was first reported, staged a protest demonstration, urging the chief minister to take notice of the situation.

Baksh Muhammad, one of the protesters, said, “I do not expect any help from the district administration,” he said. “We informed the Irrigation Department that water in the river had been rising. We were afraid that the embankment would not last long,” he said.

He said embankment had been damaged in last year’s floods and had not been repaired.

“We called several government departments when water entered our villages,” he said. “No one responded to our call as everyone was apparently out celebrating Eid.”

No spokesman for the Irrigation Department was available for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2016.