Sand-swept Thar receives over 300mm rain

Winds tear down thatched huts, hill torrents sweep away goats

HYDRABAD:

The desert based district Tharparkar has received a cloudburst of over 300 millimeters of rainfall in some of its parts during over the last 48 hours as cyclone Biparjoy passed through some parts of Thar Desert before entering Indian Gujarat.

The semi-urban towns like Mithi, Islamkot and Nagarparkar were partially submerged in over ankle deep water.

The local authorities recorded around 300mm rain Mithi and around 250mm in Na garparkar and Islamkot.

The rain was accompanied by squalls, with the wind speed of 90 to 95 kilometers per hour, which damaged the thatched huts and fell trees.

The local people reported heavy losses to their livestock animals and earthen houses.

Islamkot’s union councils like Bohari, Giryancho and Manjthi which borders India received the highest amount of downpour.

The rain triggered streams inundated some villages and drowned a large number of livestock. Amir Bux Kapri, a villager, claimed to have lost 40 goats in a stream. The communication network was also badly affected by the rain that lashed parts of Thar.

Some local people claimed that Kalidas Dam in Nagarparkar had over spilled.

The rain activated the streams of Karoonjhar Mountain in Nagarparkar. But the herdsmen claimed that they suffered losses as the livestock they take to the mountain for grazing perished in the streams.

The Deputy Commissioner Lal Dino Mangi claimed that the administration continued to make efforts to drain flash floods from the Mithi, Diplo, Islamkot and other towns.

The people staying at the relief camps in Thatta, Sujawal and Badin districts began to return to their abodes early Saturday morning.

The district administrations claimed that they even provided transport to those people.

The temporarily displaced people expressed gratitude to the Pak army for not only helping them in the camps but also for providing them ration for 15 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2023.