CM orders rainwater disposal in 15 days
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah ordered the irrigation department on Tuesday to clear land of rainwater in lower Sindh within 15 days.
He issued this directive after he was told during a meeting that 400,000 acres of land of 519,904 acres inundated with rainwater in lower Sindh during August has been dewatered and work on disposing of rainwater from the remaining land was underway.
At the meeting, irrigation secretary Rafiq Buriro told the CM of 519,904 acres of land submerged in rainwater in lower Sindh, 199,737 acres was in Mirpurkhas, 153,649 acres in Sanghar and 166,521 acres in Umerkot.
Of this land, 400,000 acres has been dewatered and work on clearing another 100,000 acres is underway, said Buriro.
Speaking of short-term steps to rectify the situation, the secretary said breaches in the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) network needed to be plugged, drains needed to be desilted and banks needed to be raised, among other measures. Providing details long-term measures, he said a Rs43.56 billion regional plan had been devised under the Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project for draining out rainwater, saving villages and other settlements, lives, livestock, crops and properties, and using excess rainwater for other purposes. He added that repair and remodelling of LBOD spinal drains was crucial for saving Mirpurkhas and Badin from inundation.
Financial assistance
Separately, a delegation led by Chinese consul-general Li Bijian called on the CM at the CM House and donated Rs25 million, issued by the Chinese government, for rain relief.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2020.