Thousands marooned as hill torrents flood parts of Dadu

Many villages left without food, potable water and access to road

HYDRABAD:

The seasonal rainwater streams flowing from the Khirthar Mountains have flooded hundreds of villages in Dadu district cutting off road communication between many villages including Johi and Wahi Pandhi towns of the district, local people told The Express Tribune through phone calls on Saturday.

The water level in the Nai Gaj, a seasonal river, has touched the embankment which protects the Johi town from flood.

The local people have complained that they are facing shortage of food as their food stocks in their homes have been deluged by the flood water. They said the prices of food items in the local market have inflated because the road connectivity has been cut off. The people urged the government to provide them relief.

They recalled that an embankment constructed for diverting the stream of Nai Gaj Dam had ruptured last year and it has not been rehabilitated so far owing to which the water gushing down the mountain was flowing towards the levy instead of the Manchar Lake.

Nai Gaj Dam is an embankment dam currently under construction on the Nai Gaj River in the gorge area at the edge of Kirthar Mountains range.

A number of large villages including Drigh Bala, Sher Muhammmad Talpur, Bahawal Babbur, Jam Babbur, Fateh Brohi, Shafi Muhammad Loond, Qasim Rudnani, Ali Murad Shahni and others have been partially submerged under water.

Mahesh Kumar, an irrigation official, confirmed to the local media that the flow in the Nai Gaj Dam was recorded at 25 feet on Friday. He told that they have set up a camp near Haji Khan Mori to monitor the water flow towards the embankment.

Johi Assistant Commissioner Sahib Khan Loond told that boats have been arranged at the FB embankment. "Many roads in Kacho [the mountain region in Dadu] have come under water and a part of the bridge connecting Johi with Wahi Pandhi has been damaged. Kacho has been cut off from Johi and Dadu."

An official of the highways division, Gul Hassan Jamali, informed the local media that they are cutting a small part of Wahi Pandhi road to divert water towards the Manchar Lake. The Pakistan Peoples Party's MNA Rafique Ahmed Jamali said the local administration and the irrigation officials are efficiently dealing with the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2021.