The Sindh government has decided to drain floodwater from Matiari, Nawabshah and Sanghar districts into Rohri Canal, which springs from Sukkur barrage and ends in Badin district, said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday.
The chief minister, on the third day of his visit to the flood-hit districts on the left bank of the Indus River, toured Matiari, Benazirabad and Naushahro Feroze districts.
According to the CM media consultant, the decision about using the canal to drain the rainwater was taken at a meeting in Matiari where the irrigation authorities were allowed to channel water from the flooded New Saeedabad taluka towards the canal.
The meeting took place at the site of Khor Wah where Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro briefed the chief minister.
Water from more than 100 villages of four union councils of New Saeedabad will be disposed of via Markh distributary. A small channel will be dug to connect the distributary to the canal.
The chief minister asked Revenue Minister Makhdoom Mehboob Zaman, who belongs to Matiari, to monitor the digging work for the new channel
and to ensure that the work is completed within three days.
Likewise, water from parts of Sanghar district will also be flowed to the canal through Markh distributary.
Later, they drove to Rohri Canal where the CM was given another briefing about the disposal plan which will help clear floodwater from the inundated villages. He also interacted with flood victims at the relief camps who requested him to speed up efforts, so that they could return to their homes at the earliest.
The chief minister told them that the purpose of his three-day visit to 11 districts of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah divisions is to decide about ways to drain out water from submerged towns and villages.
He assured them that his government is serious about enabling farmers to cultivate their winter crops, especially wheat, and in this regard financial help will also be provided.
Shah also spent time with children reciting the Holy Book at a makeshift seminary set up in a tent city in Malook Khaskheli village of Matiari. He later went o another tent city set up at Atal Bohiyo bus stop in Naushehro Feroze and asked the people about facilities there.
Meanwhile , Provincial Information and Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has said the government will give Rs1 million compensation to the heirs of each person who died during torrential rains, floods and the consequent devastation.
"This amount in no way can compensate the loss of invaluable lives but this will be a little help for the families," he said while talking to the media at a tent city established in the Labour Colony in Hyderabad on Saturday. Memon said the government will also help the people rebuild their damaged homes and the farmers to cultivate their crops again.
He deplored the PTI Punjab government's act of stopping transport of wheat to Sindh and registering an FIR against the company.
A provincial government's vendor, who has mills in both Sindh and Punjab, was transporting wheat from Punjab to the areas of Sindh which are near Punjab.
"Even the governments of India and Israel would have not done this."
He denied there is any disagreement between the federal and Sindh governments over distribution of the relief aid sent by friendly countries.
Memon said that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been distributing foreign relief items among the affected people.
He clarified that Rs4,000 per 40kg wheat support price will come into effect from the next harvest season.
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