Over two dozen houses flooded in canal breach

Villagers come out to protest against irrigation officials.

SUKKUR:

Over two dozen houses and hundreds of acres of agricultural land were submerged when a 100-feet-wide breach occurred in the Mir Wah Canal near Kandhra early Saturday morning.

The breach started off at 30 feet wide but continued to grow with water pressure. Within half an hour, it was 100 feet wide. The water flowed into houses across Mari Janullah Shah village, while fields of crops, including cotton, paddy and vegetables were inundated.

Residents began protesting, shouting against the irrigation authorities, when the Irrigation SDO Mukhtiar Dharejo approached them.

The protesters attacked the SDO and started beating him and other irrigation department officials. The SDO managed to escape, leaving behind his jeep, which was thrown into the water by the protesters.

“We informed irrigation officials about the vulnerable condition of the embankment near Mari Janullah Shah village but they didn’t pay our warnings any attention,” complained one of the men leading the protest, Noor Hassan Dayo.

“Though the village is at higher ground, over two dozen houses are flooded with water coming up to your knees,” said another protester, Mehar Kandhro. Irrigation officials arrived at the site with heavy machinery to start repairs in the afternoon, but the breach was not plugged till the filing of this report.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2011.