Floods leave sighs and griefs behind

Relief camps set up in Scheme 33 depict the plight of flood-hit towns and villages

KARACHI:

Volunteers are facing difficulties in supplying relief goods to flood victims as dilapidated roads are the main hurdles in their relief and rescue operation, a volunteer informed The Express Tribune at an emergency shelter set up at the LK Advani High School in Sachal Goth in Scheme 33, Karachi.

“The National Highway, Mehran Highway and the link roads leading to villages are inundated, making it impossible for the government workers and philanthropists to reach the displaced people,” he said.

More than 2,000 flood affected people from Kamber Shahdadkot, Naushehro Feroze, Jacobabad, Thatta, Larkana, Dadu and Shikarpur have arrived Karachi and housed in five government schools in Scheme 33 including New Grammar School, Khatoon-e-Awal School, Lk Advani High School, Sachal Girls High School and Marwar Primary School.

Flood victims in these temporary shelters informed that their cattle, lands and crops were completely destroyed in recent floods. They said that before coming to Karachi they were without any help from any authority for over a week and ultimately they decided to come to Karachi.

With tears in their eyes they said their life-time earnings, houses, belongings have gone with the flood.

They are in a state of shock. Relief camps have been set up in government schools by philanthropists.

They said food and water is available in relief camps but there are no medical facilities for Hepatitis C and heart patients.

They said, they have no clothes, ration and money.

On the other hand, Abdul Sattar, the person in a relief camp said it is the incompetency of the government that there are no basic facilities available in the camp established in a school of Marora Goth. The displaced people are living on their own, arranging food and drink through contribution.

He said that the National and Mehran highways have been closed for the past two days due to the flood situation while the road from Jamshoro to Karachi was also closed today in view of the flood situation, due to which hundreds of flood victims are stuck on the roads.

A flood victim alleged that local landlords used their labour and machines to erect emergency embankments outside their land and diverted flood water towards villages.

Community mobilisers assisting the displaced people said that as per government estimates, four million houses have been destroyed completely and more than 10 million people have displaced and many of them are on their way to Karachi.

Presently, there are about 25 families in each of the five schools and more are on their way, they said.

They demanded that the international aid should be used fairly and transparently for the flood victims only.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2022.